Increased Tourism in National Parks Trigger Bison Attacks Like the Teenage Hiker Gored in South Dakota

A British tourist is now recovering in the hospital after being attacked by a bison during her hiking trip at Custer State Park, South Dakota. ABC 7 reported that the nearly 2,000-pound animal charged her from 100 yards away but stopped just before hitting her.

The bison gored her left thigh, which damaged her artery and nerves, leaving her paralyzed below the knee. The teenager said she has no hard feelings toward the animal and considers it a freak accident that happened, given that bison are wild animals.

Bison Chased, Gored Teenage Hiker

Amelia "Mia" Dean, 19, along with her friend and her friend's dog, was on the second day of their month-long cross-country road trip and at the end of a hike at Custer State Park in South Dakota when they came face-to-face with a bison.

Her father, Matthew Dean, told Dakota News Now that they saw the big male bison over the hill. They initially thought of turning around to avoid it, but since they had run out of water, they decided against it and made their way around the animal when it suddenly looked up.

They estimated over 100 yards between them and the bison when it decided to run down the hill and towards her. Mia recalled how close the bison was to her and that they even had a bit of eye contact for a few seconds before she was gored.

The bison's horn pierced her thigh and tossed her at about 15 feet in the air. Her friend managed to get the buffalo to leave and called for help.

Despite the near-death experience, her parents were thankful that their daughter was still breathing after bleeding for two to eight minutes due to the severed artery. They said it was a miracle she was alive and could not have made it if the ambulance had not arrived within 20 minutes.

Aside from her severed artery, she also experienced damage to her tibial and peroneal nerves that left her paralyzed from the knee down in one of her legs. Her parents have shared a GoFundMe page to help in her full recovery.

Increasing Bison Attacks in National Parks

According to Newsweek, American bison are the largest land mammals in North America as they can grow up to 8.2 feet tall and have horns up to 2 feet long. They can run three times faster than humans despite their big size and can be very dangerous if provoked or threatened.

Bison attacks in Yellowstone National Park are said to be over three times as many as bear attacks between 1980 and 1999. Experts believe that increased tourism is a major factor for these large numbers, as well as a lack of awareness by tourists about handling wild animals.

Morgan Warthin, public affairs specialist at Yellowstone, previously told Newsweek that bison are wild animals that are unpredictable at best and sometimes will react if tourists come too close to them.

Just this June, a 34-year-old man was gored by a bison at Yellowstone National Park, while an unrelated 71-year-old woman from Pennsylvania was also attacked near Storm Point in the national park's lake. National Park Service advises tourists to stay at least 25 yards away from the bison.

Check out more news and information on Animal Attacks in Science Times.