Florida man gored by bison in year’s first attack by Yellowstone’s most dangerous wild animal

Vehicles block the entrance to Yellowstone National Park, a major tourist attraction now closed due to the historic floodwaters, June 15, 2022, in Gardiner, Mont. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. — A Yellowstone National Park visitor from Florida was gored by a bison — the first such violent encounter of 2025 — just weeks into the busy summer season.

Park officials repeated a frequent warning: Don’t get too close to wildlife. The 47-year-old man did just that but escaped with only minor injuries, according to a park statement Wednesday.

Park officials declined to say more about the visitor from Cape Coral, Florida, or give details about Sunday’s attack, saying only that it took place at Lake Village, an area of cabins, a lodge and campsites on the shore of Yellowstone Lake.

Bison can be aggressive when people don’t give them enough space, park officials said in their statement, and have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other wild animal.

At least two people were gored by bison last year, including an 83-year-old South Carolina woman who was seriously injured. A bison gored and significantly injured an Arizona woman in the park in 2023. Bison injured two people in 2022.

Besides getting too close, visitors have been known to pick up baby bison. Such contact can cause the baby to be shunned by its herd with deadly results, not to mention the risk to the tourist.

Usually seen grazing or lolling peacefully, bison can run up to 35 mph (56 kph) — faster than the men’s world record in the 100-meter dash.

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

Bison are North America’s biggest land animal. They stand up to 6 feet (2 meters) tall and weigh up to 2,000 pounds (900 kilograms).

Some 4.7 million people visited Yellowstone in 2024. A tour bus crash killed seven people in nearby Idaho last week. Summer season began with road plowing in late April.