A bison gored an 83-year-old South Carolina woman Saturday at Yellowstone National Park, federal officials said.
The bison was reportedly defending its space near the Storm Point Trail at Yellowstone Lake when it attacked the woman and lifted her off her feet with its horns, the National Park Service (NPS) said in a news release.
The NPS said the woman suffered serious injuries and was transported to the Lake Medical Clinic before being airlifted to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center. (RELATED: Woman Suffers ‘Serious’ Injuries After Incident With Bison In North Dakota: NPS)
BISON ATTACK | “The bison, defending its space, came within a few feet of the woman and lifted her about a foot off the ground with its horns,” the release says.
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— WPEC CBS12 News (@CBS12) June 4, 2024
Park officials noted in the release that it’s the visitor’s responsibility “to respect safety regulations and view wildlife from a safe distance. Move away from wildlife if they approach you.”
In addition, officials posted a reminder that wildlife in Yellowstone National Park “can be aggressive if people don’t respect their space.” Officials recommend visitors should stay more than 25 yards from large animals like bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose, and coyotes and “at least 100 yards (91 m) away from bears and wolves.”
Officials also advised simply turning around and heading in the opposite direction to avoid getting close to large wildlife.
Although bison are not aggressive, they are unpredictable and will attack if they feel their territory is threatened, according to the news release.
Bison, who can run three times as fast as humans, “have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal,” park officials said.
In 2023, a bison gored an Arizona woman, leaving her with serious injuries, FOX10 reported.
The woman’s fiancé, who witnessed the attack, told FOX10 that the bison charged her, hit her in the abdomen and threw her “eight, ten feet in the air.”
Officials said at this time they have no more information to share regarding the current incident, including the condition of the elderly woman, but that the attack is currently under investigation.