Bison gores man in Yellowstone after visitors get too close

A bison roams in front of Castle Geyser in the Upper Geyser Basin at Yellowstone National Park, Mont., on Sept. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum)

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) — A bison gored a man Tuesday after a large group of visitors got too close to the animal in Yellowstone National Park, officials said.

The 30-year-old from Randolph, New Jersey, was treated for minor injuries after being gored around 9:45 a.m. in the Old Faithful area, according to a park statement.

Park officials didn’t release the man’s name or condition, saying what happened was under investigation and no more information was available for release.

He was the second person gored by a bison already this spring in Yellowstone. A 47-year-old Cape Coral, Florida, man had minor injuries after being gored in the Lake Village area May 7.

Bison gored at least two people in Yellowstone last year including an 83-year-old South Carolina woman who was seriously injured. A bison gored an Arizona woman in the park in 2023.

Yellowstone bison injured two people in 2022.

Bison have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other wild animal. They can run up to 35 mph (56 km/h), faster than the men’s world record in the 100-meter dash.

Standing up to 6 feet (2 metres) tall and weighing up to 2,000 pounds (900 kilograms), they are North America’s biggest land animal.

Park regulations require visitors to keep at least 25 yards (22.86 metres) away from bison and other large herbivores and 100 yards (91 metres) away from wolves and bears.

The Associated Press