First bison goring of the season in Yellowstone

JACKSON (WNE) — The tourists of Yellowstone National Park have begun provoking the locals — in particular, bison. The park on Wednesday reported the first goring of the season.

On Sunday afternoon, a 47-year-old man from Cape Coral, Florida, was injured by a bison in the Lake Village area after he got too close to the animal. His minor injuries were treated by emergency responders.

The incident is under investigation, and no additional information is currently available, according to a park statement. A park spokesperson declined to release the man’s identity.

The man gored over the weekend is the sixth person to be gored in the park in the past four seasons and the first to not have been transported from the park for medical attention.

Two people were gored last year, one in 2023 and two in 2022.

A 25-year-old woman gored near Old Faithful in May 2022 was tossed 10 feet into the air, but she was brought to Idaho Falls by ambulance. A 34-year-old man gored later that same summer also was transported to Idaho Falls via ambulance after his arm was injured by a bison.

Wild animals can become aggressive when people get close.

“Bison will defend their space when threatened and have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal,” park officials wrote in a press release. “They are unpredictable and can run three times faster than humans.”

Parkgoers should stay more than 25 yards from bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose and coyotes and 100 yards from bears and wolves. It is visitors’ responsibility to move away from animals, even if animals are approaching them.

This story was published on May 8, 2025.