A 43-year-old Mississippi woman and her six-year-old daughter were trying to snap a selfie with a bison at Yellowstone on Thursday when the massive beast attacked, according to The Washington Post.
The woman, who turned her back on the animal to get the picture with the beast barely six yards away, tried to escape but she wasn't fast enough. The bison flipped her into the air and was taken to a nearby clinic, where she received treatment for minor injuries, according to The Associated Press.
"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 father covered her with his body to protect her and the bison moved about 3 yards away. The family drove to the Old Faithful Clinic, where the woman was treated and released with minor injuries," The National Park service said in a statement.
"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," said Colleen Rawlings, a ranger in the park's Old Faithful District. "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."
The attack is the fifth one to take place this summer after a bison gored a 68-year-old woman and a 16-year-old girl and also flung an off-trail teenager in addition to a similar incident involving an Australian tourist earlier this year.
