YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyoming, June 29, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — A married couple from Heber City was injured in Yellowstone National Park when a bison butted them as they were taking photographs, officials said.
The incident happened Wednesday morning, at Mud Volcano, just north of Lake Village, the National Park Service said in a news release.
Theodore Schrader, 74, and Patsy Holmes, 72, were taking photographs on a boardwalk, when a bison approached them, the news release said. The bison butted Holmes, who then fell into Schrader, and the couple fell to the ground.
Park rangers responded immediately and evacuated the couple from the trail, a quarter mile, to the road. The couple was transported to the Lake Clinic.
Holmes was then flown by Life Flight to Idaho Falls, Idaho. She was in stable condition.
Schrader had minor injuries.
Citations were not issued to either individual.
The news release added this warning to visitors: “Wildlife in Yellowstone National Park are wild. When an animal is near a trail, boardwalk, parking lot, or in a developed area, give it space. Stay 25 yards away from all large animals — bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose, and coyotes and at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves. If need be, turn around and go the other way to avoid interacting with a wild animal in close proximity.”
This is the first confirmed incident of a bison injuring visitors in 2017.
In 2015, five people were injured after approaching bison.
