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 off 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.
