COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A Grove City woman was injured after being gored by a bison in Yellowstone National Park Monday morning.
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 as 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 suffered a puncture wound and other injuries and was taken to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center for treatment. NBCNews had reported that the woman had died from her injuries, but has since issued a correction saying the woman was not killed.
The park service said this was the first time in 2022 that a park visitor got too close to an animal and the animal responding to the perceived threat.
Bison have injured more people in the park than any other animals, and can run three times faster than people, the park service said.
Carrie Starr, owner of Cherokee Valley Bison Ranch in Thornville, said that while it’s tempting to try and pet the animals, they can also be dangerous.
“We’re just now wrapping up our calving season so we have a lot of little babies out there and the moms are very heightened,” Starr said. You hear all the grunting that’s going on? That’s how the moms talk to the babies and they’re, like, ‘Hey, there’s strangers here. Be careful,’ and they tell them to get away.”
Two other people were in the area at the time of the Yellowstone incident, both of who were within 25 yards of the animal.
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.