Yellowstone Bison Mauls Woman in Unexpected Wildlife Aggression

Tourists have been visiting the top U.S. National Parks in unprecedented numbers in recent years. Wild animal encounters increase with population. Obviously, wild animals are wild. When threatened, they can be unpredictable, aggressive, and lethal. Are they to blame? However, some people still endanger their lives to take “the perfect selfie.” Another traveler got a close “ussie” with a wild bison in Yellowstone National Park and nearly was attacked again.

It depicts an anonymous woman approaching a bison resting in the dirt beside a wooden path in Yellowstone. Kneeling feet from the bison’s face, she holds her smartphone. Within seconds, it stands up and chases her and her partner down the boardwalk as they nervously giggle.

Bison rarely attack humans, and this bison seemed calm. Although the encounter footage is brief, the bison appears to be relaxed and enjoying life before the tourist arrives. Snorting, bluff charging, head bobbing, and ground pawing are NPS signs of bison hostility. These indications indicate that they may feel intimidated or anxious, however this creature showed none at initially.

Most sensible adults avoid wild animals. The National Park Service has long advised against touching park animals. It advises 25 yards for elk, deer, bears, wolves, and bison. Unsure of the distance? Give your nearest bison a thumbs-up with your arm. Safe distance if your thumb blocks the entire thing. Unless otherwise, back off.

This National Park Edition video is another classic example of “f**k around and find out.” Too-close animal encounters in National Parks are now reported practically weekly. Yellowstone officials had to caution visitors to drive gently, give animals space, and never interact with wildlife earlier this year. Some specialists have offered advice about coexisting and photographing wildlife safely.

The spike in near-miss and even fatal National Park wildlife encounters led the development of touronsofyellowstone (a combination of “tourist” and “morons”) on Instagram to document tourists’ epic folly near Yellowstone’s animals. With over 400,000 followers, it appears many of us like watching clueless tourons fail.

Yellowstone National Park—where?
Yellowstone National Park’s 3,500 square miles are largely in northwest Wyoming, with 3% in Montana and 1% in Idaho. Cody, Jackson, Bozeman, Billings, and Idaho Falls airports make Yellowstone easy to reach. The park has five ground entrances, making it easy to drive through.