For the second time in days, a bison stabbed a visitor in Yellowstone National Park, park officials said.
The 71-year-old woman from West Chester, Pennsylvania, suffered non-life-threatening injuries during the encounter Wednesday, the park said in a statement. pronunciation†
She and her daughter were returning to their vehicle at a trailhead when they accidentally approached bison, and a bull bison attacked her, officials said.
It was the third time a bison attacked a visitor to Yellowstone this year and the second this week.
On May 30, an Ohio woman was thrown 10 feet after approaching a bison near a boardwalk, officials say.
On Monday, a Colorado man was gored by a bull bison, also near a boardwalk. In that case, the man was with relatives when the bison attacked, and they didn’t leave right away as park officials recommend, park officials said.
Videos show the man grabbing a child to get it out of the animal’s path before it was beaten. The man, 34, suffered an arm injury, the park said at the time.
Visitors are cautioned to give space to bison and other wildlife, even if the animals are near parking lots or other developed areas. “If necessary, turn around and go the other way to avoid interacting with a wild animal nearby,” the park said Thursday.
The two most recent encounters involved bulls, or males, bison, park officials said. Taurus bison can weigh up to 2,000 pounds and be 6 feet tall.
The two most recent encounters came after Yellowstone reopened part of the park to visitors earlier this month after severe flooding, most severe in the northern part.
The park closed to all visitors on June 13. The flooding and mudslides washed away roads and caused other damage, as well as impacting “gateway communities” and the businesses that rely on travelers to the park.
The southern loop reopened on June 22 with some restrictions, and Yellowstone said Thursday it expects to reopen the northern loop on Sunday.
“We’ve been trying to balance major recovery efforts while reopening as much of the park as possible,” Yellowstone Superintendent Cam Sholly said in a response. pronunciation†
