Bison traps Yellowstone visitor in restroom ‘like a scene from a comedy,’ video shows
A Yellowstone visitor encountered a surprising guest as he tried to leave a restroom — a massive bison.
The bison blocked the man’s path out of a restroom near the Mud Volcano area on Monday, July 10, witness Taylor Caropolo told McClatchy News.
Caropolo was visiting hydrothermal features in the park when she saw the man peering from the bathroom as a bison lingered nearby.
She pulled out her phone and started recording, later posting the video to a popular Facebook page.
“It was like a scene from a comedy, and I had to share it,” Caropolo told McClatchy News.
Other curious visitors are seen in the short clip watching the encounter. One woman got about 7 feet from the animal, and “her grandchildren were yelling at her to stay back,” Caropolo said.
She said the man was able to walk out of the restroom after about eight minutes when the bison finally got out of the way.
“The other visitors were getting dangerously close all day so, it was rather refreshing to see someone try to follow guidelines,” she said.
Keeping a distance from wildlife
Visitors should stay at least 75 feet away from bison, park officials said.
“Bison have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal,” park rangers said in an email to McClatchy News. “Bison are unpredictable and can run three times faster than human.”
A bison can become threatened and charge if it’s approached, officials said. It “may respond by bluff charging, head bobbing, pawing, bellowing, or snorting.”
When the animal does this, park officials said to leave the area and walk or run away.
One Yellowstone visitor didn’t keep their distance from a baby bison, and it resulted in a fine and the animal’s death, McClatchy News previously reported.
A man tried to help a lone calf reach its herd by pushing it onto a road from a river in May. As a result, the animal later approached cars and followed people.
Wildlife officials said they tried to reunite it with its mother, but it didn’t work, so the animal was put down.
This story was originally published July 13, 2023 at 1:32 PM with the headline "Bison traps Yellowstone visitor in restroom ‘like a scene from a comedy,’ video shows."
