Woman severely injured in bison attack in Roosevelt Park

FARGO, N.D. — A bison severely injured a Minnesota woman on Saturday in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the National Park Service said in a statement on Tuesday.

Park officials reported she was in serious but stable condition after suffering “significant injuries to her abdomen and foot.”

The woman was taken to a Fargo hospital after being transported by ambulance to a hospital in Dickinson, about 30 miles east of Painted Canyon, a colorful Badlands vista popular with motorists, where the attack occurred at a trailhead.

The attack is under investigation; exact details are unknown. Park Superintendent Angie Richman did not immediately respond to an email requesting information.

On Monday, a bison charged and gored a 47-year-old Phoenix woman in Yellowstone National Park. She sustained significant injuries to her chest and abdomen and was taken by helicopter to an Idaho Falls hospital.

The 47-year-old woman from Phoenix was walking in the field with another person when they saw two bison. The people turned to walk away. One of the bison then charged and gored the woman. Park officials did not release the woman's name or condition. How far the two people were from the bison when the attack began was unknown, the statement said.

The Yellowstone attack was the first known bison attack on a person in Yellowstone in more than a year. Bison injured two people in the park in 2022.

Park officials reminded visitors that bison are large, powerful and wild, and can turn quickly and easily outrun people. Bulls can be aggressive during the rutting season from mid-July through August. Park regulations require visitors stay at least 25 yards (23 meters) away from large animals.