Bison Gores Yellowstone Visitor, Tosses Her 10 Feet in Air

A bison attacked a woman visiting Yellowstone National Park on Monday, and the results were horrifying. According to a report by CBS News, the 25-year-old woman was badly wounded by the bison’s horns before she was tossed 10 feet into the air. Park officials pointed out that this is the first reported bison goring of the year, though it turns out this is not all that uncommon for these animals.

The identity of the victim has not been revealed, but she was reportedly visiting from Grove City, Ohio. She sustained a puncture wound and other injuries, and a park emergency medical team put her into an ambulance to take her to a nearby Idaho hospital. The attack took place on a boardwalk in the Black Sand Basin, an area just north of Old Faithful. This incident is under investigation, but park officials’ initial statements point out that the woman broke some protocol in order to put herself in danger.

Yellowstone National Park requires visitors to stay at least 25 yards away from bison, but this woman was reportedly within 10 feet of the animal. The officials told reporters that there were two other bystanders who came within that 25-yard radius, but neither was injured.

The park officials also pointed out that bison have injured more humans than any other animal in Yellowstone National Park. They can run up to three times faster than humans and are generally considered unpredictable. Presumably, most visitors are presented with this information on their way into the park, but it’s not clear what this woman was doing there or how much research she might have done.

A similar bison goring story was one of the first big headlines out of Yellowstone in 2020 when the park first reopened after pandemic-related restrictions began to loosen. Two days after the park reopened that May, a woman was charged by a bison and injured. She was treated by park medical personnel, but she reportedly “refused” to be taken to a hospital.

Yellowstone is known to be home to bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose, coyotes, bears and wolves, among other potentially dangerous wildlife. It was the first national park in the U.S., and is most popular for its unique geothermal features. At the time of this writing, Yellowstone is open for hiking, camping, boating, guided tours and many other activities.