Woman Seriously Injured By Bison In Yellowstone National Park

A hiker was injured by a bison on Sunday night in Yellowstone National Park near Storm Point Trail at the northern end of Yellowstone Lake in Wyoming.

How the 30-year-old unidentified woman was injured is still unknown, but she endured significant injuries and was flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho according to park spokeswoman Linda Veress.

“We’re not clear how the encounter with the bison occurred,” Veress told the Billings Gazette.

Bison injure an average of one to two people in Yellowstone a year, usually when people approach and encounter the animal, a 2018 study revealed.

Yellowstone National Park bison herd is the largest and oldest public herd in the United States. In 2020, it was estimated that about 4,800 bison live in the park. It is the only park in America where bison have continued to live since prehistoric times.

For years, Montana Indian tribes have requested the transfer of bison to repopulate their reservations and, in 2019, 55 male bison were transported to Fort Peck Indian Reservation in central Montana.

The National Park Service urges park-goers to stay more than 25 yards away from larger animals like bison, coyotes and moose and at least 100 yards away from wolves and bears.