Woman attacked by bison while taking selfie
A woman has been gored by a bison at the Yellowstone National Park after coming within six yards (18ft) of it to take a selfie.
The incident occurred on Tuesday when the 43-year-old woman from Mississippi was taking photos with her six-year-old daughter.
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She had turned her back to the bison to take the photo, before it charged, tossing her into the air.
She had started to run but the bison caught up with her, lifted her up with its head on the right side of her body, and threw her into the air.
The woman's father then covered her with his body to protect her, and the bison moved about nine feet away.
She was taken to a nearby clinic, called the Old Faithful, and treated for minor injuries.
Speaking to the Grand Forks Herald, Colleen Rawlings, Old Faithful district ranger, said: "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.
"People need to recognise that Yellowstone wildlife is wild, even though they seem docile. This woman was lucky that her injuries were not more severe."
It is the fifth attack this year in which a tourist has got too close to a bison at Yellowstone.
On 15 May, a Taiwanese exchange student turned her back on a bison to pose for a group photo and was gored in the buttocks.
She was airlifted to hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries.
On 2 June, an Australian was taking photos within five feet of a large bison when it charged and tossed him into the air several times. Reports suggested he was lucky to survive.
On 23 June, a teenage park concession stand worker was thrown into the air by a bison after enjoying a late night swim.
And, a week later, a 68-year-old woman from Georgia was hiking along Storm Point Trail when she was gored by a bison. She received treatment in hospital but survived the attack.
The Grand Forks Herald adds that when an animal is near a trail, boardwalk, parking lot, or in a developed area, visitors must give it a wide berth and not approach it closer than the required minimum distances: 25 yards away from all large animals — bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose, and coyotes — and at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves
In recent weeks, rangers have distributed pamphlets featuring images of a man being gored and flung into the air by a bison, in a bid to deter would-be selfie-takers.
The annual record for gorings was back in 1987, when more than 40 people were injured in bison attacks in Yellowstone.
According to the Washington Post, in 1983, a French tourist ended up with a torn colon, punctured stomach, four broken ribs and a severely damaged spleen in one of the worst Yellowstone gorings in its history. He was posing for a photo six feet from the animal when it attacked.
But, the paper adds, while bison have been responsible for two deaths in the park's history, "20 visitors have died after being boiled by one of Yellowstone's geysers or geothermal features".
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