With tourists just starting to arrive in Yellowstone National Park, park officials have already announced the first animal attack of the season. According to a National Park Service press release issued last night, 40-year-old Clarence Yoder of Idaho Falls, Idaho initiated an altercation with one of the park’s largest and most formidable critters while under the influence of alcohol.
The incident happened seven miles east of the Yellowstone’s West Entrance, near the town of West Yellowstone, Montana. “Rangers responded to the area after receiving a report of an individual who harassed a herd of bison and kicked a bison in the leg,” the press release states. Yoder was gone by the time they got there, but rangers spotted the vehicle he was traveling in exiting the park and pulled the car over in West Yellowstone.
Yoder was arrested in West and hit with four charges: Being under the influence of alcohol to a degree that may endanger oneself, disorderly conduct as to create or maintain a hazardous condition, approaching wildlife, and disturbing wildlife. “The driver of the vehicle Yoder traveled in, 37-year-old McKenna Bass, of Idaho Falls, was also arrested and cited for driving under the influence, interference for failure to yield to emergency light activation, and disturbing wildlife,” the release goes on to state.
Surprisingly, Yoder only sustained minor injuries after provoking the bison, but the rangers did transport him to a nearby medical facility for evaluation and treatment. After that, he was shuttled off to the Gallatin County Detention Center in Bozeman. He appeared in court on Monday, April 22 and pled not guilty to the charges. The incident is still under investigation, park officials say, but Yoder could end up with $20,000 in fines and two years in jail if convicted of all four violations.
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Adult bison can weigh anywhere from 1,000 to 2,200 pounds. Despite their massive size, the animal’s are impressively agile and capable of quick bursts of speed that exceed 40 miles per hour. “This is the first reported incident of a visitor being injured by a bison in 2024,” NPS said in its press release. “The last reported incident occurred on July 17, 2023. There was one reported incident in 2023 and three in 2022.”
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