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A Pennsylvania woman visiting Yellowstone National Park with her daughter was gored by a bison in the second such incident this week and the third in a month, park officials said.
The 71-year-old woman from West Chester, Pennsylvania, whose name the National Park Service has not disclosed, was returning to her vehicle near Storm Point on Yellowstone Lake Wednesday when a bull bison loaded, according to a statement of press.
“The woman and her daughter inadvertently approached the bison as they returned to their vehicle at the head of the road, causing the bull bison to load,” the Parks Service said Thursday.
The woman suffered “life-threatening injuries” and was taken to West Park Hospital in Cody, Wyo.
It is unclear to what extent the woman and her daughter were when the bison charged. The park, located primarily in Wyoming, requires visitors to stay more than 25 meters from the bison.
“Wildlife in Yellowstone National Park is wild and can be dangerous when approached,” the Parks Service said, repeating the same warning it had made just two days earlier.
The incident is the latest in a series in which bison have horned visitors who did not maintain the proper distance.
A visitor to Yellowstone suffered a second bison attack in a month, Park says
Earlier in the week, a 34-year-old man from Colorado Springs was horned by a bison in the Old Faithful geyser. The man was walking with his family along a boardwalk near the giant geyser Monday when a bull bison charged against the group, according to a press release.
“Relatives did not leave the area and the bison continued to load and horn the male,” the Parks Service said.
The man suffered an arm injury and was taken to East Idaho Regional Medical Center, Yellowstone Hospital. The Parks Service said Monday’s incident involved a visitor who was “too close to the animal.”
The Yellowstone bison encounters the visitor and throws him 10 feet, Park says
Prior to these two incidents, a 25-year-old woman from Grove City, Ohio, was horned by a bison and was thrown 10 feet into the air on Memorial Day after she also got too close to the animal. While on a boardwalk in Black Sand Basin in late May, the woman approached less than 10 feet from the animal, park officials said. Two other people were also 25 meters from the bison, the Parks Service said in a press release.
When the woman approached the bison on the boardwalk west of Old Faithful, the animal loaded her.
“As a result, the bison horned the woman and threw her 10 feet into the air,” the Parks Service said at the time.
The woman suffered a stab and other injuries and was taken to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.
Like the largest mammals in North America, bison have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal, according to the Parks Service. They are unpredictable and enormously strong. While they can weigh up to 1 ton and have about 6 feet on their shoulders, bison can run up to 35 mph, which is “three times faster than humans,” the Park Service says. They can also jump up to six feet vertically “and can turn quickly to fight predators,” according to the National Wildlife Federation.
Yellowstone is the only place in the United States where bison have lived continuously since prehistoric times, according to the Department of the Interior. Between 2,300 and 5,500 bison live in Yellowstone, according to the Parks Service.
Yellowstone officials have stressed that visitors should give space to animals if they are approaching campsites, trails, boardwalks, parking lots or urbanized areas. Visitors should be within 25 feet of all large animals, such as bison, elk, sheep, deer, elk and coyotes, the Park Service says. Guests are advised to stay at least 100 meters from bears and wolves.
Although wildlife attacks are rare, dangerous encounters occur, especially when humans ignore, or are unaware of, the rules and etiquette surrounding the display of wildlife. Cameron Harsh, the program director for the U.S. office of World Animal Protection, an international nonprofit group, told The Washington Post last month that “wild animals want to be left alone.”
Yellowstone will reopen most of the northern loop this weekend
The third bison incident in a month is part of what has been an eventful time in Yellowstone. Park officials announced Thursday that its northern loop will reopen on Saturday, less than three weeks after the park suffered severe flood damage. Record rains and historic floods caused Yellowstone to close all five entrances on June 13th. But 93 percent of the park’s road system is already open, and the temporary alternative registration system to limit visitors will rise during the holiday weekend.
Wednesday’s incident is still under investigation, according to the Parks Service. In its press release, the Parks Service remarked to visitors, again, that they do not approach bison.
“Give space to bison when they are near a campsite, a trail, a boardwalk, a parking lot or in a developed area,” the Parks Service said. “If necessary, turn around and go the other way to avoid interacting with a wild animal nearby.”
Andrea Sachs and Natalie B. Compton contributed to this report.