This news story about two bison goring incidents in Yellowstone National Park in three days is based on two recent National Park Service press releases. You can read the original releases here and here.
In the past few days, it became abundantly clear once again that Yellowstone wildlife is, in fact, very much wild and deserves respect. In just three days, two visitors have been gored by bison in the park.
That shows how unpredictable and dangerous bison can be. Even if bison appear calm and content, visitors who get too close them could easily trigger an attack.
In fact, the National Park Service says that, on an annual basis, bison injure significantly more people in Yellowstone National Park than bears do.
Two Visitors Gored by Bison in Just Three Days in Yellowstone National Park
The recent bison goring incidents in Yellowstone happened just two days apart, on June 27 and June 29, in two different areas in the park.
This puts the total number of people getting gored by a bison in Yellowstone National Park in 2022 at three. The first incident of this kind this year happened on May 28 at Black Sand Basin.
34-Year-Old Colorado Man Gored by Bison in Yellowstone on June 27
The National Park Service said that a 34-year-old man from Colorado Springs, Colorado, was gored by a bull bison near Giant Geyser at Old Faithful on June 27.
The man was walking with his family on a boardwalk in the popular Upper Geyser Basin when a bull bison charged the group.
Family members did not leave the area, and the bull bison continued to charge and gored the man.
The man sustained an injury to his arm and was transported by ambulance to the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.
This bison goring incident was captured on smartphones by nearby visitors and shared widely on social media and in traditional media.
71-Year-Old Pennsylvania Woman Gored by Bison in Yellowstone on June 29
The most recent Yellowstone bison goring occurred on Wednesday, June 29, at Yellowstone Lake.
According to the National Park Service, a bull bison gored a 71-year-old woman from West Chester, Pennsylvania, near Storm Point at Yellowstone Lake.
The woman and her daughter inadvertently approached the bison as they were returning to their vehicle at the trailhead, causing the bull bison to charge.
The woman sustained non-life-threatening injuries after the encounter and was transported by ambulance to West Park Hospital in Cody, Wyoming.
No further information is available about either incident at this time, the Park Service said.
Bison Safety in Yellowstone National Park
The National Park Service also reshared its guidelines on how to act when encountering and observing wild bison in Yellowstone.
- Wildlife in Yellowstone National Park are wild and can be dangerous when approached.
- Give bison space when they are near a campsite, trail, boardwalk, parking lot or in a developed area. If need be, turn around and go the other way to avoid interacting with a wild animal in close proximity.
- Stay more than 25 yards away from all large animals – bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose, and coyotes. Stay at least 100 yards away from Yellowstone bears and wolves.
- Approaching bison threatens them and they may respond by bluff charging, head bobbing, pawing, bellowing, or snorting. These are warning signs that you are too close and that a charge is imminent.
- Do not stand your ground. Immediately walk or run away from the animal. Spray bear spray as you are moving away if the animal follows you.
- Bison are unpredictable and can run three times faster than humans.
Read more about how to avoid bison attacks in this blog post.