Woman injured by bison at Yellowstone National Park on second day after reopening
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WY - SEPTEMBER 24, 2014: A bison grazes on grasses in the Hayden Valley section of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. (Photo by Robert Alexander/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON - A woman was injured by a bison at Yellowstone National Park on Wednesday, the second day of the park’s phased reopening, after getting too close to the wild animal.
The visitor was "knocked to the ground and injured" by the bison in the Old Faithful Upper Geyser Basin on Wednesday afternoon, the National Park Service (NPS) said in a statement. According to the park service, the tourist had approached the animal "too closely" (within 25 yards) when the bison attacked.
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Emergency medical services responded immediately and assessed the woman, who refused medical transport.
The incident remains under investigation, officials said. The news marks the first incident of a bison injuring a tourist in 2020.
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“Wildlife in Yellowstone National Park are wild. When an animal is near a trail, boardwalk, parking lot, or in a developed area, give it space,” the NPS urged. “Stay 25 yards away from all large animals - bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose, and coyotes and at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves.”
“If need be, turn around and go the other way to avoid interacting with a wild animal in close proximity.”
The legendary Yellowstone reopened its Wyoming entrances on Monday in the first phase of its careful reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic. Parkgoers, however, must heed some new health and safety guidance while visiting.