2 Women Attacked by Bison While Visiting National Parks
When it comes to encounters with wild animals, park officials have issued timeworn advice: give them space. Visitors should stay at least 25 yards away from large animals, which include bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose and coyotes, the park said; they should stay more than 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 proximity,” the National Park Service said.
Yellowstone National Park is home to thousands of bison, while up to several hundred roam Theodore Roosevelt National Park. A spate of bison attacks in recent years has highlighted the dangers of coming too close to them.
In June 2022, a bull bison gored a 34-year-old man after he moved “too close,” park officials said. Weeks earlier, a bison had flung a 25-year-old woman 10 feet into the air after she came within 10 feet of the animal. In 2019, a 9-year-old girl was sent airborne from a bison’s head butt that was captured on video and shared on social media. The girl was part of a group that stood within five to 10 feet of the bison for at least 20 minutes, officials said.
The National Park Service advises against approaching all wildlife, but it places special emphasis on bison, which have injured more people than any other animal found in the park, including grizzly bears, moose and wolves, the park service said. Bison can stand six feet tall, weigh over 2,000 pounds and run three times faster than humans. The oxlike mammals are known to be capricious, especially during the summer mating season. Researchers have found that a majority of bison attacks happen in June and July.
Source: The New York Times
