Ohio Woman Gored And Tossed By Bison At Yellowstone

A woman visiting Yellowstone National Park on Tuesday got too close to one of the thousands of wild bison that live in the area, resulting in the animal goring her and launching her 10 feet in the air, according to a news release from the park.

Guests at the park are told to keep at least 25 yards away from the bison and other wildlife in the park, with even longer recommendations for animals like bears and wolves. The release announced that the woman “sustained a puncture wound and other injuries,” but she was able to be transported to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.

While this was apparently the first bison attack of the year, the Parks Service also mentioned that “Bisons have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal. They are unpredictable and can run three times faster than humans.” It’s unclear what causes tourists to keep putting themselves in harm’s way at these parks.

The attack occurred at a boardwalk in the Black Sand Basin area of the park, which is just north of the iconic geyser Old Faithful. As gorgeous as National Parks are, they are certainly not petting zoos, and it’s not worth risking injury or even death to get a blurry selfie of you standing kind of close to a cool animal.