She Got Within 30 Feet of a Bison, Foolishly

Nature is wonderful—from a safe distance. That's perhaps the lesson for a 59-year-old California woman who was gored by a bison in Yellowstone on Wednesday. Per a press release from the National Park Service, Kim Hancock of Santa Rosa was on a boardwalk with a group of people who, at one point, got within 30 feet of the bison; some in the group reportedly got as close as 15 feet. The park's recommendation is that visitors give bison and elk at least 75 feet of space. The bison then crossed the boardwalk and "became agitated" and charged, goring Hancock and then exiting the area.

Hancock was taken to a medical facility in Big Sky, Montana, with a hip injury and is in good condition. Hers is the second case of a bison attack this year; a 72-year-old woman was butted by a bison that she hadn't spotted in early May near Old Faithful. Per the NPS, there was one bison incident in 2017 and five in 2015. Hancock's is the third wildlife attack in the park this month following two elk incidents. (More bison stories.)