A bison speared a tourist and threw her ten feet into the air in Yellowstone National Park, rangers said.
The 25-year-old woman was visiting from Grove City, Ohio, on Monday, May 30, according to the National Park Service. She walked to the bison on a boardwalk near the famous Old Faithful geyser and came within 10 feet.
“While the bison was walking near a boardwalk at Black Sand Basin (just north of Old Faithful), the female, on the boardwalk, approached it,” park officials said in a May 31 press release. “As a result, the bison punched the woman and threw her ten feet high in the air.”
The woman had stab wounds and “other injuries,” officials said. Park rangers did not disclose her condition, but she was taken to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.
Yellowstone officials are investigating the incident, the first between a bison and a tourist in 2022.
In Yellowstone, several tourists have been injured by bison over the years.
“Bison has injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal,” park rangers said. “They are unpredictable and can run three times faster than humans.”
Bison are huge animals that can weigh up to 2,000 pounds and run up to 30 miles per hour, according to the park. Park visitors must remain at least 25 meters away from bison at all times.
Last year, a 30-year-old woman was hiking with a friend on a Yellowstone trail when she encountered a bison and suffered serious injuries. At the time, park rangers did not know why the bison injured the woman.
Bison injures hiker in Yellowstone National Park, officials say. This is what we know
In 2020, a woman was knocked to the ground by a bison after coming up to 7 meters in height. A 72-year-old woman was also gored by a bison in Yellowstone as she approached the animal to take a photo.
Protective elk attack and trample woman running on Colorado trail, officials say
Man turns back to moose to take selfie in national park. Don’t do that, say rangers
Yellowstone tourist jailed after video showed her getting too close to bears
