COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — An Ohio woman was gored by a bison in Yellowstone National Park Monday morning. This is the first incident of a visitor threatening a bison reported this year, park officials noted.
According to the National Park Service, the 25-year-old woman was walking on a boardwalk at Black Sand Basin just north of Old Faithful. The bison was walking near the boardwalk and the woman approached the animal, getting within 10 feet of it.
The bison then gored the woman, tossing her 10 feet into the air, the park service said.
The woman, who suffered a puncture wound and other injuries, was taken to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center for treatment. Her current condition is unknown.
Yellowstone officials said this was the first time in 2022 that a park visitor got too close to an animal and the animal responded to the perceived threat.
The park requires visitors to stay more than 25 yards away from bison and other large animals, and at least 100 yards from bears and wolves, saying visitors should turn the other way to avoid contact with the animals.
Two other people were in the area at the time of the incident, both of whom were within 25 yards of the animal.
Bison, which can run three times faster than humans, have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animals, according to the park service.
In 2020, a 72-year-old California woman was repeatedly gored by a bison in Yellowstone after getting too close to the animal. She suffered multiple wounds and was airlifted to an Idaho hospital.