A 25-year-old woman was sent to the hospital after being gored and tossed into the air by a bison in Yellowstone National Park.
According to park officials, the woman, who was visiting from Ohio, approached the bison within 10 feet Monday morning while it was walking near a boardwalk at Black Sand Basin. The animal then gored the woman, tossing her 10 feet in the air.
She suffered a puncture wound and other injuries, the National Park Service wrote in a press release. The woman was transported in an ambulance to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.
"The incident remains under investigation, and there is no additional information to share," the park service said. "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."
The woman was left unnamed by the agency. Her condition is not currently known.
"This is the first reported incident in 2022 of a visitor threatening a bison (getting too close to the animal) and the bison responding to the threat by goring the individual," park officials said, adding that two other people came within 25 yards of the same bison.
The animals are normally placid but can respond aggressively and charge when approached.
"Bison have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal. They are unpredictable and can run three times faster than humans," officials said.
Park regulations require visitors to remain at least 25 yards (75 feet) away from bison and other large animals, including elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose, and coyotes. Visitors must remain 100 yards (300 feet) away from bears and wolves.
Yellowstone is the only place in the United States where bison have lived continuously since prehistoric times. Around 5,450 bison were counted during the most recent survey in summer 2021. Bison are the largest land-dwelling mammal in North America; males weigh roughly 2,000 pounds and females weigh an average of 1,100 pounds.
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