Two people have been gored by bison at Yellowstone National Park in less than a week. An expert at Antelope Island State Park says it's important for people to give bison their space and distance. Photo credit: Kira Hoffelmeyer, KSL NewsRadio
What advertisements stick in your brain? If you said “the funny ones,” you’re the person the National Parks Service hoped to reach with their latest bison safety campaign.
The new public service announcement was posted on the agency’s Instagram account. It’s a drawing that shows a stick-figure human being tossed into the air by a bison.
And in large font, the poster warns park visitors not to “pet the fluffy cows,” and to think safely, act safely.
The new poster was released after the news that a third person, in less than a month, had been gored by a bison at Yellowstone National Park. All three victims were hospitalized.
And the National Park Service said that all three had gotten too close to the bison, something that Utah wildlife officials also warn about.
“People usually get too close,” Antelope Island Park Manager Jeremy Shaw said.
“They always want to get closer and closer for photos. But ultimately, any time there is a dangerous interaction with wildlife, it’s because the person got too close.”
Antelope Island is closely associated with bison. It is home to what the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources calls the nation’s largest and oldest public bison herds. But the DWR also says bison can also be found in the Henry Mountains in southern Utah and the Book Cliffs, in eastern Utah.
There are several things to know about safety around bison, an animal that can weigh up to 2,000 pounds — if it’s a male — and stand 6 feet tall.
And though they are large, they can run up to 35 miles per hour. But don’t get yourself into the position of having to race this animal. instead: