A Minnesota woman was seriously injured Saturday after a bison encounter in North Dakota’s Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
Park officials received a call about an incident involving a bison and a park visitor at the Painted Canyon Trailhead around 11 a.m. local time. according to Tuesday’s press release from the National Park Service.
Park rangers, Billings County Sheriff’s Department first responders, and emergency medical services personnel arrived at the scene and treated the unidentified woman’s injuries until an ambulance arrived. Paramedics took the woman to nearby Dickinson Hospital and then to Fargo Hospital for further treatment. She was last reported to be in a “critical but stable condition,” according to a press release.
Woman seriously injured after bison attack in Theodore Roosevelt National Park https://t.co/NjAToJJWqE
— WDAZ News (@WDAZTV) July 18, 2023
Details of the incident were unclear, but park officials said the woman suffered “serious injuries to her abdomen and legs.”
Park regulations dictate that visitors remain at least 25 yards (or two bus lengths) away from large mammals such as bison, elk, deer, pronghorn, and horses. Bison bulls are especially aggressive during the mating season from mid-July to August. “Please be very careful and give yourself extra space during this time,” the release reads. (Related: Woman nearly dies after trying to pet bison in Yellowstone National Park)
“Park officials send their sincere congratulations to her and her family as she continues to receive treatment and recover,” the press release said.