Bison gores tourist and tosses her 10 feet at Yellowstone National Park, rangers say

A bison gored a tourist and tossed her 10 feet into the air at 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 toward the bison on a boardwalk near the famous Old Faithful geyser and came within 10 feet.

“As the bison walked 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 news release. “Consequently, the bison gored the woman and tossed her 10 feet into the air.”

The woman had puncture 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.

Multiple tourists have been injured by bison at Yellowstone over the years.

“Bison have 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 should stay at least 25 yards 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 significant injuries. At the time, park rangers didn’t know why the bison injured the woman.

In 2020, a woman was knocked to the ground by a bison after she came within 25 feet. A 72-year-old woman was also gored by a bison at Yellowstone when she approached the animal to take a photo.

This story was originally published June 1, 2022 at 8:42 AM with the headline "Bison gores tourist and tosses her 10 feet at Yellowstone National Park, rangers say."