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A Colorado man visiting Yellowstone National Park was gored by a bison at Old Faithful this week in the second such attack last month, park officials said.
The 34-year-old Colorado Springs man, whose name the National Park Service has not disclosed, was walking with his family along a boardwalk near Giant Geyser Monday when a bull bison charged at 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.
It is unclear to what extent the bison man was before the attack. The park, located primarily in Wyoming, requires visitors to stay more than 25 meters from the bison. The Parks Service said this was another case where a visitor was “too close to the animal.”
“This incident is still under investigation and there is no additional information to share,” the Parks Service said.
Less than a month ago, 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 getting too close to the animal. While standing on a boardwalk in Black Sand Basin, 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.
The Yellowstone bison encounters the visitor and throws him 10 feet, Park says
When the woman approached the bison on the boardwalk west of the Old Faithful geyser, 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, who survived the attack, suffered a stab and other injuries and was taken to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center. It is unclear whether the other two people within the 25-yard line were injured. That incident, like this week’s, also happened on a Monday morning.
Bison, the largest mammals in North America, have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal, according to the Parks Service. Bison are unpredictable and enormously strong, and although they can weigh up to a ton and stand about 6 feet at the shoulder, bison can run up to 35 mph, which is “three times faster than humans.” , says the Park Service. 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 bison are considered special because “they are the pure descendants (free of cattle genes) of the first bison that roamed the prairies of our country,” says Interior.
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.
How travelers can stay safe during encounters with wild animals
Wildlife attacks are rare, but dangerous encounters occur, especially when humans ignore, or are unaware of, the rules and etiquette of wildlife observation.
“Wild animals want to be left alone,” Cameron Harsh, program director for the U.S. office of World Animal Protection, an international nonprofit group, told The Washington Post this month. “They don’t want to interact with humanity.”
Yellowstone recently reopened after severe flooding damaged roads and bridges and caused the park to close for about a week this month.
The Parks Service said Monday’s attack was the second in the last month “of a visitor who gets too close to the animal and the bison responded to the perceived threat by horning the individual.” . Park officials again stressed that Yellowstone visitors should keep a safe distance.
“Wildlife in Yellowstone National Park is wild and can be dangerous when approached,” the Parks Service said.
Andrea Sachs contributed to this report.