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SCIENCESaturday 6 June 2015

U.S. park urges tourist common sense amid bison attacks

MEAD GRUVER In this June 19, 2014, file photo, bison graze near a stream in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Associated Press
Associated Press
CHEYENNE, Wyoming (AP) like cattle, lumbering about where he was treated for please. If a bison is near a She also was treated at a
— A pamphlet drawing of and lazing in the sunshine. serious injuries and released trail, don’t go down that hospital for serious injuries
a man being gored and But when they get a mind Tuesday night. The attack trail. Yellowstone’s sum- and released. Some who
flung into the air graphi- to, they can run up to 40 happened as a group of mer tourist season began encounter bears in Yellow-
cally warns tourists in Yel- mph (64 kph), or almost people crowded near the a month ago and already stone aren’t so fortunate.
lowstone National Park not twice as fast as Usain Bolt’s bison as it lay on grass near the park has had some dic- Bears have killed at least
to get too close to bison: world-record speed in the a paved trail. The man was ey run-ins between wildlife seven people in Yellow-
They’re wild animals and 100-meter dash. taking photos of the shag- and tourists. A recent vid- stone since the park was
can be very dangerous. “I just don’t think people re- gy beast from just a few eotape showed camera- established in 1872.
Rangers distribute the flyer alize how fast bison move. feet, but the whole crowd clicking tourists scrambling But bison — and elk, es-
to people as they enter They’re big animals, but was much too close, park for their vehicles as a black pecially the big-antlered
the park, but some visitors they move quickly. And officials said. bear and her cubs tried to males during mating sea-
still aren’t getting the mes- so when a bison becomes Any less than 75 feet (22 cross a bridge in Yellow- son each fall — are respon-
sage. Bison have gored agitated, it doesn’t take meters) is unsafe, they stone and began running sible more injuries to peo-
two people in near the fa- him long to cover that warn. Also, stop staring at in their direction. ple, at least a couple every
mous Old Faithful geyser short distance,” Yellow- your camera or phone, be Then on May 16, a bison in year. And Yellowstone has
within the past three weeks. stone spokeswoman Amy aware of your surround- the Old Faithful area gored far too many tourists and
Increased tourism — up 18 Bartlett said. The unidenti- ings, and know that Yel- a 16-year-old girl from Tai- wildlife for park rangers to
percent in the park May fied Australian was flown lowstone’s wild animals are wan as she posed for a even try to police every
compared to the same by helicopter to a hospital free to roam where they picture near the animal. possible situation.q
month last year — has
put more people close to
the animals, Yellowstone
spokeswoman Traci Weav-
er said.
“There’s just a lot of people
around, and the tempta-
tion is there when a bison
looks calm,” Weaver said.
Still, she said the two at-
tacks in such a short period
were a statistical anomaly.
The latest attack Tuesday
was an especially violent
scene, as a bison charged
a 62-year-old Australian
man and flung him into the
air several times.
A male American bison can
weigh up to 2,000 pounds
(900 kilograms), bigger
than a some small cars.
They have horns that aren’t
just for grubbing around for
tasty shoots.
Bison often behave much