Approaching wildlife can be a dangerous choice, and often it doesn’t end well. On May 4, a 47-year-old Florida man visiting Yellowstone National Park learned that the hard way when he got too close to a bison.
The animal reacted defensively and attacked, goring the man and leaving him with minor injuries. The attack took place around 3:15 p.m. in the Lake Village area of the park.
This is the first bison goring of the season at Yellowstone. On average, there are one or two of these incidents every year at the national park. According to a 2019 report from Utah State University (USU), 56 park visitors were injured by bison between 1978 and 1992, and two were killed. Between 2000 and 2015, 25 people were injured by bison.
Overwhelmingly, the cause of those injuries had to do with people getting too close to the animals.
“Bison will defend their space when threatened and have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal,” Yellowstone National Park wrote in a press release. “They are unpredictable and can run three times faster than humans.”
A spokesperson for Yellowstone National Park said the incident is still under investigation and declined to share additional details. However, the spokesperson did refer GearJunkie to the park’s guidelines for safety and photography of wildlife.
Yellowstone Bison Attack: Keep Your Distance From Wild Animals
Wildlife in Yellowstone and other national parks can be very dangerous. It’s why the park recommends people stay 25 yards away from bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose, and coyotes, and at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves.
There are roughly 5,400 bison in Yellowstone, according to NPS estimates. They are an iconic and photogenic animal within the national park. People like to take pictures of them — sometimes too much. According to USU’s report, half of all bison-related injuries at Yellowstone were the result of people trying to take a photograph.
That’s why the Jackson Hole Travel and Tourism Board (JHTTB) released an app called Selfie Control last year. The app was designed to help people gauge whether they’re too close to an animal to take a photo safely.
Yellowstone did not specify whether the man injured on Sunday was trying to take a photo of the bison that mauled him. However, the park did report that the man approached the buffalo, not the other way around.
“Wild animals can be aggressive if people don’t respect their space,” Yellowstone officials said in the release. “The safety of these animals — and humans — depends on everyone using good judgment and following these simple rules.”
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