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Woman injured by Yellowstone bison still alive despite national reports

(Photo provided by nps.gov)

***UPDATE BY EASTIDAHONEWS.COM –

Nate Eaton

By Nate Eaton, EastIdahoNews.com

A woman gored and tossed into the air by a bison at Yellowstone National Park is still alive and has not passed away.

NBC News reported Wednesday that the 25-year-old from Ohio died as a result of her injuries. The Guardian and other news organizations then repeated the report that she had died.

NBC later issued a correction after multiple media outlets contacted Yellowstone National Park and Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center for confirmation.

EastIdahoNews.com

“EIRMC has had no recent patient death as a result of the injuries being described in the NBC report,” an EIRMC spokeswoman said in a statement to EastIdahoNews.com.

The incident with the bison happened Monday morning when park officials say the woman got within 10 feet of the animal as it walked near a boardwalk at Black Sand Basin. The woman, whose name has not been released, was on the boardwalk when she approached the animal, which proceeded to attack her.

***UPDATE***

According to NBC4 out of Ohio, the Grove City woman who was injured over the Memorial Day weekend by a bison near Old Faithful has died. No other details have been released.

***ORIGINAL STORY***

The calendar had not even flipped over to June before a visitor to Yellowstone National Park (YNP) was injured by getting too close to a bison this past Memorial Day weekend.

According to a release from the Communications Office of Yellowstone National Park, a 25-year old female from Grove City, Ohio, “approached a bison to within ten feet” on the morning of My 30, 2022.

The report stated that “as the bison walked near a boardwalk at Black Sand Basin, just north of Old Faithful, the aforementioned female approached and animal and was gored. Reportedly the woman was tossed some ten feet into the air.

Two other visitors were within 25-feet of the bison when the incident took place.  The woman suffered a puncture wound and other injuries. Park emergency medical providers responded to the incident and transported her via ambulance to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

According to the release, the incident remains under investigation and there is no more information to share at this time.

Yellowstone National Park officials remind visitors that the wildlife in the park are wild and can be dangerous when approached.

Two other individuals were also within 25 yards of the same bison. Officials as then when an animal is near a campsite, trial, boardwalk, parking lot or in a developed area, give it space and stay more than 25 yards (23 meters) away. This included bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose and coyotes. That distance should be increased to 100 yards (91 meters) in the event of encountering a bear or wolves.

“If need be, turn around and go the other way to avoid interacting with a wild animal in close proximity,” stated the Superintendent of YNP.

According to the park, this is the first reported incident of the 2022 season of a visitor threatening a bison and the bison responding to the threat by goring the individual. Information provided by the park continued by stated that bison have injured more people at Yellowstone than any other animal.

“They are unpredictable and can run three times faster than humans,” the release stated.

Encounters between park visitors and bison have become an annual occurence prompting a humorous take on the interaction. (Provided by Yellowstone National Park)

Read more about safety in the park, including how to behave around wildlife.

Visitors: This year marks 150 Years of Yellowstone. Protect the park today and for future generations. Take the Yellowstone Pledge!

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