In the deep green pastures of Yellowstone National Park, where the air is crisp and the tall grass dances in the breeze, lives the bison, a large, majestic animal with chocolate brown fur — and a delicate temperament that could turn from pleasant to dangerous in seconds. Bison have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal, a national park official said. Last weekend, an 83-year-old woman from South Carolina was gored by a bison that was defending its space, park officials said.
She sustained serious injuries after being lifted about a foot off the ground by the animal’s horns. The incident remains under investigation. It was the latest in a string of tragic events at the park involving visitors and bison, which are social animals that live in herds.
In April, a 40-year-old man was injured after harassing a herd of bison and kicking one of the animals in the leg. In July 2023, a 47-year-old woman sustained significant injuries after being charged and gored by a bison. Just weeks earlier, a man pleaded guilty to one count of feeding, touching, teasing, frightening or intentionally disturbing wildlife after interacting with a newborn bison calf, which had to be euthanized.
More Episodes like these occur too regularly, said Jon Grinnell, associate professor of biology and a bison expert at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota. “I think it’s a sign of how unfamiliar people are with dealing with wild animals,” he said. “They think they are tame things .
