Yellowstone Bison Attack: Ohio Woman Dies After Animal Impales Her [What Happened?]

A 25-year-old woman visiting Yellowstone National Park died after a bison gored and tossed her 10 feet into the air, according to park officials.

The National Park Service did not identify the victim, who was a visitor from Ohio, in its news release on Tuesday.

The woman approached the female bison as it approached a boardwalk near Old Faithful geyser on Monday morning, according to the park officials. "Consequently, the bison gored the woman and tossed her 10 feet into the air."

She was treated onsite by park emergency care personnel before being transported by ambulance to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center. After suffering a puncture wound and other injuries, the woman died.

Two more persons were within 25 feet of the bison, although it is unknown whether they have sustained injuries.

Officials stated they were still looking into the incident, per NBC News.

Park Warns Visitors To Stay Away From the Unpredictable Beasts

"This is the first reported incident in 2022 of a visitor threatening a bison (getting too close to the animal) and the bison responding to the threat by goring the individual," park officials stated.

Bison are known to be unpredictable animals that can charge at any time and run up to 35 miles per hour, but this is the first time a bison has been documented goring someone this year.

According to park officials, bison, which may weigh up to 2,000 pounds, have wounded more people than any other animal in Yellowstone. There are between 2,300 and 5,500 bison that dwell at the park, as per a report from The Guardian.

Visitors should stay at least 25 yards away from all large mammals, such as sheep, deer, and moose, and 100 yards away from bears and wolves, the park management cautioned.

"Wildlife in Yellowstone National Park are wild and can be dangerous when approached. When an animal is near a campsite, trail, boardwalk, parking lot, or in a developed area, give it space," according to the press release.

"If need be, turn around and go the other way to avoid interacting with a wild animal in close proximity," it added.

More People Attacked by Animals Recently

Several people have been critically hurt by bison and other animals in and near Yellowstone in recent years.

A bison charged and head-butted a 9-year-old girl as she attempted to flee in a video shot in 2019. A woman approached a bison the following year and was knocked to the ground and hurt by the animal. Last April, a backcountry guide was killed while fishing near the park by a huge grizzly bear that officials believe was protecting a food source.

After failing to move out of the path of a grizzly bear and its pups, a woman was sentenced to four days in jail and forbidden from the park for a year.

Concerns about bison overgrazing have sparked debate around Yellowstone, per New York Times. Last year, more than 5,000 bison were wandering the park. In December, wildlife officials and tribal entities agreed to kill, shoot, or confine up to 900 bison from the park at the service's Stephens Creek Capture Facility.