People Urged Not To Go Close To Wild Bison In Yellowstone National Park

Visitors to Yellowstone National Park have been warned against approaching the wild bison - yet again.

You'd have thought by this point that everyone would have got the message about giving these huge animals a wide berth, and yet time and time again people, people get close, and they get smashed.

The park - which spans Wyoming, Montana and Idaho - is a vast area of stunning natural beauty, and it attracts visitors from far and wide.

However, it is home to the beefy bovines, and they ain't particularly big fans of selfies with tourists. Two people have been gored by the beasts in the space of three days, prompting the park to issue yet another warning about keeping the f**k back.

On Twitter, the park wrote: "(Heads Up!) Second visitor in three days gored by bison in Yellowstone National Park.

"Visitors: Bison are wild and unpredictable. Stay more than 25 yards (23 m) away from them."

Earlier this week, a 34-year-old man had to be taken to hospital after he was gored by a bison while trying to protect a young boy.

Footage captured by an onlooker shows the bison running towards the family members as they visited Yellowstone National Park and walked near Giant Geyser at Old Faithful.

The animal appeared to come to a stop before it made contact with the visitors, but the group apparently weren't concerned as they remained in the area, with one man even appearing to approach the bison before it charged towards the young boy.

The clip shows two adults moving out of the way before a third ran to try and rescue the child from the bison's path. As the man grabbed the child, the animal struck him head-on and caused him to fall to the ground before getting up and running away.

Rob Goodell, who filmed the attack, told Cowboy State Daily the man and child were 'just walking up to the bison when [it] took off'.

He said: "Anyone who says that the bison just attacked that guy or whatever, that’s bulls**t. The bison was just protecting his ground."

In a statement addressing the incident, the National Parks Service (NPS) said family members 'did not leave the area' even when the bison charged towards them.

"The bull bison continued to charge and gored the male," the NPS said, explaining the man sustained an injury to his arm and was transported by ambulance to the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center to receive treatment.

"Wildlife in Yellowstone National Park are wild and can be dangerous when approached," the parks service added.

"When an animal is near a campsite, trail, boardwalk, parking lot, or in a developed area, give it space. Stay more than 25 yards (23 m) away from all large animals - bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose, and coyotes - and at least 100 yards (91 m) away from bears and wolves.

"If need be, turn around and go the other way to avoid interacting with a wild animal in proximity."

The NPS warned bison are 'unpredictable' and can run three times faster than humans.

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Topics: US News, Animals

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey