An 83-year-old woman was left with serious injuries after she was gored by a bison in Yellowstone National Park, officials said.
The victim from Greenville, South Carolina, was attacked near the Storm Point Trail at Yellowstone Lake in Wyoming over the weekend. Park officials say the bison was “defending its space” when it “came within a few feet of the woman and lifted her about a foot off the ground with its horns.”
Park emergency responders rushed the seriously injured visitor to a clinic from which she was then flown by helicopter to the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, the park said in a news release Monday. It said an investigation into the incident is ongoing and gave no further information as to the victim’s condition.
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The statement reminded visitors it’s their responsibility to “respect safety regulations and view wildlife from a safe distance.” “Bison have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal,” the park statement read. “Bison are not aggressive animals but will defend their space when threatened. They are unpredictable and can run three times faster than humans.”
Yellowstone advises tourists to stay at least 25 yards away from large animals—including bison—and a minimum of 100 yards away from wolves and bears.
