Hiker hospitalized after bison attack in Yellowstone

YELLOWSTONE– Wildlife experts are prompting extra caution this spring after a bison attacked a hiker near the Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park.

“A woman was hiking on a trail behind Old Faithful geyser on the afternoon of May 1st. She came around a corner and didn’t see a bison that was extremely close to that trail,” said Neal Herbert, Communications specialist for the park, “Before she was able to get away and put something between her and that bison, that bison butted her and pushed her off the trail.”

He wasn’t able to comment on her current condition, but said she was transported by ambulance to a hospital in Idaho.

“It’s a good time to slow down and look around. Go slowly around the corner of a building,” Herbert warned. “You just never know when you are going to run into a wild animal.”

The park asks that visitors keep 100 feet from wolves and bears, and at least 25 feet from Bison.

“We tell people to zoom with your lens and not with your feet,” Herbert said. “If you want to get a classic shot of an animal you want a telephoto lens and a real camera to get one. Not a mobile phone.”

He warned that female elk are especially dangerous this time of year because they are calving and are careful to protect their young.