Posted on 06/04/2024 12:15:02 PM PDT by Red Badger
An 83-year-old South Carolina woman visiting Yellowstone National Park was gored by a bison Saturday that was “defending its space,” the National Park Service reported Monday. She was airlifted to a hospital in Idaho.
An 83-year-old South Carolina woman visiting Yellowstone National Park was gored by a bison Saturday.
The bison was “defending its space” near the Storm Point Trail at Yellowstone Lake when it “came within a few feet of the woman and lifted her about a foot of the ground with its horns,” the National Park Service says in a Monday evening press release announcing the goring.
It’s the first goring in Yellowstone this summer season, but not the first bison attack. That happened in April when an Idaho man was roughed up by a bison after kicking it while drunk.
The elderly woman in Saturday’s attack sustained serious injuries, the NPS reports, and was airlifted to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho.
While seriously wounded by the large animal, just how badly she was injured or her condition wasn’t known, and the NPS reports it has “no additional information to share at this time.”
Storm Point Trail runs along Indian Pond and near Yellowstone Lake, according to NPS.gov, and hikers and visitors are usually waned to be aware of bear activity in the area.
Although the bison reportedly reacted defensively, the National Park Service didn’t release any information about what brought the 83-year-old within striking range of it. However, the agency doubles down on its warning that “wildlife in Yellowstone National Park are wild and can be dangerous.”
Of the unfortunate wildlife-human encounters in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem “bison have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal,” according to the NPS. “Bison are not aggressive animals, but will defend their space when threatened. They are unpredictable and can run three times faster than humans.”
Greg Johnson can be reached at greg@cowboystatedaily.com.
Bison: 3 - Tourists: 0
Life is not a Disney movie.
Humans need to respect the rules of safety.
I’ve been to Yellowstone and have seen the stupid tourists try to take selfies with the bison.
I didn’t see any gorings, but I can easily see how they happen with such stupid behavior.
Not eligible for Darwin Award as she was already past contributing to the gene pool.
That happened in April when an Idaho man was roughed up by a bison after kicking it while drunk.
Bad idea to kick a drunk bison, thatsallIgottasay...
In her 83 years, this lady still had not learned to stay a safe distance away?
The Bison are not large Chow Dogs, waiting to be petted and played with by we humans. Frankly, they don’t want us around at all.
"Look at me, Grandma, I'm a going to ride that buffalo."
Considering we did nearly our best to wipe them out, can you blame ‘em?
It’s always silly when humans think they need to defend animals when they act viciously for no reason.
Animals are not capable of moral thought, so it makes no sense to think you have to defend them.
The answer is simple—if an animal is dangerous, you kill it.
Same here. However the bison do come up to OFI and Y-Stone cabins at the Lake. You have to be very careful going in and coming out sometimes. Don’t startle them and always have an exit plan if they do get excited. I never had any trouble with them. I was mostly frightened with a moose encounter on the waterfall trail. I trust the moose even less than the bison.
Imagine, when this woman was born, if a gypsy fortune-teller told her mother: “this child will die being gored by a Bison.”
Everyone would have laughed.
Understandable, given what moose are prone to do to sisters.
Even when I was a Marine drinking up my paycheck, I have never, ever been THAT DRUNK!..................
“Humans need to respect the rules of safety.”
Yep; shoot the stupid animal.
“The answer is simple—if an animal is dangerous, you kill it.”
Amen
I once stayed at the Big Yellowstone Lodge. I came out very early in the morning to put the suitcase in the car. I was just outside the big front door in the parking lot. When I was about done, I heard a “breathing” sound behind me. I slowly turned around and I was looking right at a Buffalo that had silently come up behind me and now was about 10 feet away. He was looking right at me and there I was looking right at him. I literally didn’t move (not sure I even could have!) and in what seemed like a LONG 2-3 minutes, he turned and quietly walked away. But seeing the size of that thing only 10 feet away was something I will NEVER forget. He probably just wanted a cookie or something, but I don’t remember being frightened as badly. Im amazed hearing people actually get out of their cars and try to get a photo of these things. Craziness wins, and so does Darwin.
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