Yellowstone's wild summer has just seen the second bison attack of the season already. The news comes hot on the heels of large portions of the park being closed due to severe flooding that completely washed away large sections of roadway. This latest attack was captured on video on June 27. The National Park Service says a 34-year-old man from Colorado was the victim of the incident that happened in the area of the Giant Geyser, which is located near Old Faithful. Authorities transported the man to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center where he was treated for arm injuries.
The footage of the incident was uploaded to Instagram, and appears to have been shot at a distance. There is a small group of people on a boardwalk who are way too close to the bull bison. As they try to get past it, the bison leaps up and over the boardwalk and appears to corner a small child. That's when the man runs in and puts himself between the bison and the child. The bison briefly lifts the man off the ground before dropping him and the group backs away.
The National Park Service says they are investigating the incident. They did not share the name of the victim or the other people who appear in the video. The park has ticketed people in the past for getting too close to wildlife. The other attack this year involved a 25-year-old Ohio woman. Authorities say she was tossed 10 feet in the air by another bison after she got too close to it. That incident also happened near Old Faithful, which is one of the more heavily-trafficked areas of the park due to its famous geyser. This visitor was also not named by the Park Service, but authorities said at least two other people got too close to the animal before that attack.
Too many visitors to the park seem to forget or not understand the rules regarding wild animals. It's part of is why Yellowstone is using this incident, like the many others, to remind visitors to keep at least 25 yards from large animals like bison, elk, sheep, deer, and moose. The park has stricter rules when it comes to the predators like bears and wolves. Visitors are required to stay at least 100 yards away from them.
As easy as those regulations may seem to follow, the inevitable violations each year keep piling up. It seems like only a matter of time before the next incident; here's hoping some awareness and common sense begin to decrease the frequency of these types of stories.
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