Drunken tourist kicked bison in Yellowstone National Park, officials say

An intoxicated visitor at Yellowstone National Park allegedly kicked a bison, resulting in the visitor being injured and later arrested, the National Park Service announced.

The 40-year-old resident of Idaho Falls is being charged with four crimes in connection with the incident, according to a Park Service press release.

On April 21, park rangers received a report of an individual disturbing a herd of bison. The individual allegedly kicked a bison in the leg, the park service said. Rangers said they then located him in West Yellowstone, Montana, along with a 37-year-old who was driving the pair. The man experienced minor injuries from his tiff with the bison, for which he was treated at a nearby medical facility before being taken to the Gallatin County Detention Center.

The man was arrested on charges related to disturbing wildlife and being under the influence of alcohol to a potentially dangerous degree. His friend was arrested and cited on charges of driving under the influence, failing to yield to an emergency vehicle and disturbing wildlife. They both appeared in court on April 22 and pleaded not guilty, according to the Park Service.

The incident is still under investigation. If convicted, the pair could face fines of $5,000 each and up to six months in jail.

This is only one of several instances of visitors harassing wildlife at Yellowstone: Animals like bison, elk and bears have been disturbed by tourists so often that the park service published a news release last summer imploring people to leave a respectable distance between themselves and whatever creatures they may encounter during their time at the park.

In particular, bison have been at the center of some of the park's more alarming incidents. Before the man's encounter, the last report of someone being injured by a bison occurred in July 2023, when one of the animals gored a woman on the shore of Lake Yellowstone. The year prior, three bison-related injuries were reported at the park, according to park officials.

"Approaching wild animals can drastically affect their well-being and, in some cases, their survival," officials wrote in the 2023 news release. "When an animal is near a campsite, trail, boardwalk, parking lot, on a road, or in a developed area, leave it alone and give it space."

The Park Service recommends staying at least 25 yards away from all wildlife and 100 yards away from bears and wolves.

Court records show the tourists were each released from jail on $3,500 bonds. They are banned from Yellowstone and will appear in court again for status hearings.