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A visitor at Yellowstone National Park was gored by a bison on May 4, 2025, according to a press release from park officials. The National Park Service (NPS) says it is the first reported incident of a visitor being injured by an animal this year, while there were two incidents reported in 2024 and one in 2023.
NPS said Wednesday there were few details about the incident and that they were investigating, only mentioning that the 47-year-old man from Cape Coral, Florida had been gored after approaching the animal too closely.
They did, however, use news of the incident to remind the public of some basic safety measures to keep in mind while visiting national parks and crossing paths with wildlife often.
“It is your responsibility to stay more than 25 yards (23 meters) away from all large animals – bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose, and coyotes – and at least 100 yards (91 meters) away from bears and wolves,” they wrote.
While bison, in particular, seem like docile animals, they can be very protective of their space and can run three times faster than humans, making the 25-yard rule a necessary precaution.
Although the NPS reports only four such incidents since 2023, stories of human-wildlife accidents are on the rise. Just last month, for example, a new study claimed that many sharks biting humans are doing so defensively. Odd as it sounds, a common thread in many attacks within the study was a victim who’d been attempting to take a selfie and had moved too close for comfort.
And last year, the Jackson Hole Travel and Tourism Board launched a “selfie filter” as a tool tourists could use to avoid these scenarios.
“What we’re excited about is giving people the ability, like another tool, to be able to really understand how far 25 yards is or how far 100 yards is,” Crista Valentino, the executive director of the JHTTB, said in an interview with Boise State Public Radio. “Because it’s difficult to judge that distance when you have such a great expanse.”
