A 30-year-old New Jersey man was gored by a bison in Yellowstone National Park on Tuesday, making him the second person to be gored this year, according to Yellowstone officials.
The goring occurred at approximately 9:45 a.m. in the Upper Geyser Basin near Old Faithful, the busiest area in Yellowstone.
Park officials said in a statement that the man was in a group of visitors that “approached (the bison) too closely” when it turned and charged.Emergency medical personnel treated the victim for minor injuries.
The incident is under investigation, and as of Tuesday afternoon, no additional information was available.
Two Already
This is the second bison goring in Yellowstone in 2025. The first incident occurred on Sunday, May 4, when a Florida man got too close to a bison at Lake Village. That man was also treated for minor injuries, but the park hasn’t released any updates on the incident.
Two bison gorings were reported in 2024 and one in 2023. The National Park Service reminded visitors on Tuesday, once again, to maintain a safe distance from Yellowstone’s wildlife.
“Bison will defend their space when threatened and have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal,” the statement reads. “They are unpredictable and can run three times faster than humans.”
According to the book “Death in Yellowstone” by Lee H. Whittlesey, there have only been two confirmed deaths by bison in Yellowstone. Nevertheless, these men were lucky to escape with minor injuries.
“We see about two or three (bison attack victims) a year,” Dr. Kirk Bollinger with the Emergency Medicine department at Cody Regional Health told Cowboy State Daily in May. “I haven’t seen a lot of goring injuries where the victim’s guts are coming out. The big thing is the internal bleeding.”
Dimwitted Tourists
Just last week, wildlife photographers Rob and Jennifer Gunderson spotted a woman and her toddler walking within a foot of a 2,000-pound bison.
Thankfully, the animal was unbothered by the infringement on its personal space. Jennifer told Cowboy State Daily she was shocked by the negligence of the parent.
“I never thought we would ever witness something like that,” she said. “Never in a million years. We've always joked about ‘the tourons of Yellowstone,’ but didn’t think people could really be that ignorant. But we saw it firsthand.”
When In Rut
Bison enter their mating season, or rut, during the summer. This makes Yellowstone’s 2,000-pound bull bison particularly dangerous, as their surging hormones make them more aggressive and territorial.
The National Park Service (NPS) asks visitors to maintain a minimum distance of 25 yards from bison, elk, bighorn sheep, other large animals, and at least 100 yards from bears and wolves. Visitors regularly disregard these distances, but ultimately, their safety is in their own hands.
“Wild animals can be aggressive if people don’t respect their space,” the NPS said in a statement. “It is your responsibility to stay more than 25 yards (23 meters) away from all large animals.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
