Bison Attacks Woman: Yellowstone Selfie Fail As Park Visitor Is Lifted And Tossed By Bison Near Trailhead


Another bison attacked a woman at Yellowstone National Park this week in a series of mishaps involving bad judgment on the part of guests arriving to see the wild animals.

CNN reports that a 43-year-old woman attempted to snap a selfie of herself by one of the bison near the Fairy Falls trailhead on Tuesday. The woman from Mississippi and her daughter had their backs to the bison when they tried to take photos. The animals were about six yards away, according to the National Park Service.

The park service revealed what happened in a statement Wednesday when the bison attacked the woman in Yellowstone.

“They heard the bison’s footsteps moving toward them and started to run, but the bison caught the mother on the right side, lifted her up and tossed her with its head.”

The woman’s family drov her to the Old Faithful Clinic in the park for medical treatment. She suffered just minor injuries and was soon released.

Park officials have urged its visitors to exercise great caution around the animals and to heed warning seriously. Colleen Rawlings, a ranger at the park’s Old Faithful District, stressed this once more, using this week’s incident as an example as to what can happen when things go wrong.

“The family said they read the warnings in both the park literature and the signage, but saw other people close to the bison, so they thought it would be OK. People need to recognize that Yellowstone wildlife is wild, even though they seem docile. This woman was lucky that her injuries were not more severe.”

KSL.com reports that the woman attacked by the bison in this latest Yellowstone incident is the fifth person injured after approaching a bison in the park this season. She’s also the third person involved in a selfie — or photo-taking incident with the animals.

The Inquistr has written on several other bison attacks this season. There were two separate incidences at Yellowstone earlier this month of bison attacks that occurred within days of each other. One woman was gored while another teen was injured. In May, there was another attack of a young girl trying to get pictures of the bison — getting too close.

Will there be more bison attacks at Yellowstone? The park is hoping people will get the message that their decisions can be life or death while visiting the national park. Wild animals are unpredictable and people must respect them.

[Photo by Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images]

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