An Arizona woman suffered significant injuries when a bison gored her at Yellowstone National Park on Monday, officials said.
The 47-year-old woman was walking with another person in a field near the Lake Lodge Cabins on the north shore of Lake Yellowstone when they saw two bison, the National Park Service (NPS) said.
As the visitors turned to walk away from the bison, park officials say one of the animals charged and gored the woman.
The woman, from Phoenix, sustained significant injuries to her chest and abdomen, NPS said. She was airlifted to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center. Her current condition was not immediately available.
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Visitors are urged to stay at least 25 yards from bison, which can run three times faster than humans, park officials said. (National Park Service / Jacob W. Frank)
Park officials said it is unclear how close the visitors were to the bison when the animal charged.
No further details were immediately available, as the incident remains under investigation.
The NPS warns visitors to stay at least 25 yards away from all wildlife, including bison. Those who disregard the park’s regulations may face fines, potential injury and even death, according to the agency.
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Park officials have said bison have injured more visitors in Yellowstone than any other animal. The park described bison as unpredictable and noted that the animals can run three times faster than humans.
Visitors are urged to use extra caution during mating season, which runs from mid-July to mid-August, when bison can quickly become agitated.
While this was the first reported incident at Yellowstone in 2023, a bison in the park last year gored a 25-year-old Ohio woman and tossed her 10 feet into the air after she got too close to the animal as it was walking near a boardwalk at Black Sand Basin, just north of Old Faithful.
