Never, ever, ever approach a herd of bison.
A video showing a woman going up to a bison, only to be gored by it, was shot on June 25 at Bridge Bay Campground in Yellowstone National Park.
Another family camping next to the 72-year-old woman recorded the incident.
Apparently, two bison were peacefully grazing near a parked RV at a camping ground. The woman, who was visiting the park from California, kept approaching and provoking one of the animals, even taking a picture within 10 feet of them.
βI could hear the bison making noises and blowing steam out,β Jenna Larsen, who recorded the video, said. βIt was just an accident waiting to happen at that point.β
Finally, it seemed one of the bison had had enough: it charged at the woman, tossing her back 10 to 15 feet up in the air. The woman stood up, however, the bison charged her again, hitting her once more.
Here's the video footage leading up to the initial attack, as well as an interview with the Larsen family who also assisted the woman afterward:
After the incident, park rangers treated the woman's goring wounds, which were multiple, before having her flown to a hospital in Idaho.
Yellowstone's senior bison biologist Chris Geremia commented on the situation:
"The series of events that led to the goring suggest the bison was threatened by being repeatedly approached to within 10 feet .... Bison are wild animals that respond to threats by displaying aggressive behaviors like pawing the ground, snorting, bobbing their head, bellowing, and raising their tail. If that doesn't make the threat (in this instance it was a person) move away, a threatened bison may charge. To be safe around bison, stay at least 25 yards away, move away if they approach, and run away or find cover if they charge."
Park officials suggest people visiting should stay at least 25 yards away from large animals, like bison, elk, deer, moose, coyotes, and bighorn sheep. They recommend staying at least 100 yards from bears and wolves.
The woman is unidentified but was reportedly released from the hospital after treatment.