Photo: Getty Images
A bison gored a 25-year-old Ohio woman at Yellowstone National Park Monday (May 30) and tossed her 10 feet into the air, according to The Guardian.
The woman, who was from Grove City, Ohio, approached the bison as it was walking near a boardwalk at Black Sand Basin, according to park officials. When she came within 10 feet of the animal, it stabbed her with its horns and threw her into the air.
First responders treated her at the scene and then rushed her to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center via an ambulance. She sustained a puncture wound and other injuries.
Park regulations require visitors to remain more than 25 yards from bison. And while two other visitors were also within 25 yards of the same bison, no other injuries were reported, according to park officials.
This incident was the first report of a visitor getting hurt from coming too close to a bison this year, but park officials said bison have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal. They described bison as unpredictable and noted they can run three times faster than humans.
The bison herd in Yellowstone National Park is the largest free-ranging herd in North America, according to Wyoming wildlife expert Taylor Phillips (via FOX News). The largest male bison weighs up to 2,000 pounds, according to Phillips.
“A lot of people get themselves in trouble with bison because they do look docile,” he said. “They do look like big, furry, fuzzy cows.”