A 12-year-old was attacked by a bison while visiting Yellowstone National Park on Friday, the National Park Service (NPS) officials announced in a news release.
The incident occurred near Mud Volcano, just north of Fishing Bridge, around 9:15 a.m., according to the NPS.
“The visitor sustained injuries, and emergency medical personnel transported them to a nearby hospital. The incident remains under investigation,” the NPS added.
The NPS noted that wild animals can be aggressive when people do not respect their space.
The NPS mandates that visitors stay at least 23 metres away from large animals, like bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose and coyotes, and at least 91 metres away from bears, wolves and cougars.
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If wildlife approaches park visitors, it’s advised to move away to maintain the required distance and to never approach, touch, feed or crowd wildlife.
The NPS said bison have injured more people in Yellowstone National Park than any other animal.
“They are unpredictable, can run three times faster than humans and will defend their space when threatened,” the NPS said of bison.
Park officials around the U.S. share frequent warnings not to get too close to wildlife while visiting national parks ahead of the busy summer season.
Last May, a Florida man was injured after he was charged and gored by a bison at Yellowstone National Park.
The 47-year-old, who had approached the bison, escaped with only minor injuries and was treated by emergency medical personnel, according to the NPS.
At least two people were gored by bison in 2024, including an 83-year-old South Carolina woman who was seriously injured.
The woman was near the Storm Point Trail at Yellowstone Lake in June 2024 when the bison lifted her about a foot off the ground with its horns, park officials said, adding that the bison was defending its space.
In April 2024, an Idaho man was arrested on alcohol and wildlife-related charges after he was accused of kicking a bison at Yellowstone National Park, sustaining minor injuries.
The man was arrested by park rangers, who transported him to a nearby medical facility before dropping him at a county detention centre.
Authorities were notified of the incident after a parkgoer reported seeing an individual “who harassed a herd of bison and kicked a bison in the leg” near Yellowstone’s west entrance, park officials wrote in a press release.
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