Tourist gored by bison in Yellowstone National Park after getting too close

Ohio woman was transported to Idaho Falls hospital for treatment for injuries

By: - June 1, 2022 10:41 am
Yellowstone Bison on Blacktail Deer Plateau

In this file photo, bison gather on Blacktail Deer Plateau in Yellowstone National Park. (Courtesy of the National Park Service)

Park regulations require visitors to stay 25 yards away from bison. But the woman and two others got closer to the animal, and the bison gored her and tossed her 10 feet into the air near a boardwalk at Black Sand Basin north of Old Faithful, the park said.

The woman sustained other injuries, the park said, and she was transported to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls after being treated by park emergency medical providers.

The park reminded people that bison can run three times faster than humans.

“The incident remains under investigation, and there is no additional information to share,” the park said in the news release.

The park also gave the following advice and information for dealing with wild animals:

  • Wildlife in Yellowstone National Park are wild and can be dangerous when approached. When an animal is near a campsite, trail, boardwalk, parking lot or in a developed area, give it space. Stay more than 25 yards away from all large animals — bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose, and coyotes and at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves. If need be, turn around and go the other way to avoid interacting with a wild animal in close proximity.
  • This is the first reported incident in 2022 of a visitor threatening a bison by getting too close to the animal, and the bison responding to the threat by goring the individual.
  • Bison have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal.
  • Read more about safety in the park, including how to behave around wildlife.
  • Visitors: This year marks 150 years of Yellowstone. Protect the park today and for future generations. Take the Yellowstone Pledge!

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