Officials said a Colorado 17-year-old has been gored by a bison at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.
The youth, not identified by name, was airlifted to a hospital for treatment.
A witness cited by park officials said the teenager was walking along a trail in the park near a herd of bison.
“Two bull bison had been fighting moments prior and were on either side of the trail when the visitor walked between them,” officials said. One bull charged from behind, hitting the youth in the back and goring the back of the right thigh. The force of the attack launched the youth about 6 feet into the air.
Park rangers and medical staff treated the injured visitor on the scene before a helicopter arrived for air transport to a hospital in Bismarck.
“Park staff would like to remind visitors that bison are large, powerful, and wild,” officials said. “They can turn quickly and easily outrun humans.”
“Bulls can be aggressive during the rutting season, mid-July through August,” park officials warn, adding that, “Park regulations require that visitors stay at least 25 yards (the length of two full-sized busses) away from large animals such as bison, elk, deer, and horses.”
Bison have injured more people in Yellowstone National Park than any other animal, according to the National Park Service.
Video Shows Bison Launching Young Girl in the Air at Yellowstone
The incident follows the case of a 9-year-old girl who was tossed into the air by a bison at Yellowstone National Park, escaping without any major injuries.The video was captured by visitor Hailey Dayton, who was also steps away from the large bovine.
“Everyone was screaming and running while little kids were crying,” Dayton told the New York Post. “When the bison finally left many people went to the family to see if they could do anything to help the girl.”
Man Gored in Utah
In another incident last month, a 30-year-old college student was gored and trampled by a bison while he was out on a trail run at Antelope Island State Park in Utah.On June 1, Kyler Bourgeous encountered a pair of bison after he reached the top of a blind hill while running on the Frary Peak Trail. Bourgeous immediately turned to avoid the animals but one of them came charging forward and gored the 30-year-old in the hip and shoulder, sending the young man flying into the air and down the hill.
But the bison did not stop there. it then kicked and trampled Bourgeous, cracking his rib and cutting his head during the attack, before the bison finally stopped.
“If he had not turned just one inch this way or that way, it would have gone through his heart and lungs and lower internal organs and there’s no way he would have survived,” Bonnie added.
Bourgeous said when the attack stopped he called at some nearby hikers for help.
