Bison Gores Woman, Tosses Her 10 Feet Into The Air In Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park -- A woman from Grove City, Ohio, was gored by a bison during a visit to the Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.

Park officials said the incident took place Monday morning and left the woman with injuries, including a puncture wound.

The 25-year-old woman, whose identity was not revealed, approached the bison within 10 feet before the attack, according to the New York Post. The woman was flung upwards as the animal gored her, according to details revealed by the park in a press release.

“As the bison walked near a boardwalk at Black Sand Basin (just north of Old Faithful), the female, on the boardwalk, approached it. Consequently, the bison gored the woman and tossed her 10 feet into the air,” the statement read.

Two other visitors were also in the vicinity, around 70 feet from the same animal when the woman was attacked.

Emergency medical personnel at the park rushed to the woman’s aid and transported her in an ambulance to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.

The incident is currently being investigated. The park used the incident to warn visitors about approaching the animals in Yellowstone.

“Park regulations require visitors to remain more than 25 yards (23 m) away from bison,” the statement said.

This is the first instance reported this year of a visitor getting too close to a bison and resulting in the animal launching an attack on the visitor, WBNS-10TV reported.

A bison’s behavior can be unpredictable, and they can run three times faster than humans, the park said. Their statement also noted that bison have injured visitors at the park more than any other animal.

The Yellowstone National Park is home to wild animals that can turn aggressive or dangerous when approached, the park added.

“When an animal is near a campsite, trail, boardwalk, parking lot, or in a developed area, give it space,” the park added. “Stay more than 25 yards (23 m) away from all large animals - bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose, and coyotes and at least 100 yards (91 m) away from bears and wolves.”

The park also advised visitors to turn around and head in a different direction to avoid coming in contact or interacting with a wild animal in close proximity.