An 83-year-old woman has sustained serious injuries after being gored by a bison in Yellowstone National Park over the weekend. The news comes just two weeks after we reported on a herd of bison charging a crowd of tourists in the park.
The woman, who has not been identified, was visiting from South Carolina when she was attacked near the Storm Point Trail at Yellowstone Lake on Saturday. Though details on the incident are sparse, it's not uncommon for park visitors to get too close to bison, who are not naturally aggressive but can be defensive when they feel threatened.
"The bison, defending its space, came within a few feet of the woman and lifted her about a foot off the ground with its horns," writes the National Parks Service in a news report.
Bison have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal, according to the NPS, who describe them as "unpredictable" and reveal that they can run three times faster than humans.
Emergency responders from the park transported the woman to the Lake Medical Clinic where she was airlifted to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center. The incident remains under investigation, but park officials were unequivocal in their warnings to visitors, writing: "Visitors: It’s your responsibility to respect safety regulations and view wildlife from a safe distance. Move away from wildlife if they approach you."
Park officials remind all visitors to stay more than 25 yards away from big mammals like bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose, and coyotes. If they move towards you, it is your responsibility to move out of their space to avoid being gored by a bison.
