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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial | |
ARTICLE VIEW: | |
Man accused of kicking a bison at Yellowstone National Park is injured | |
and arrested | |
By Forrest Brown, CNN | |
Updated: | |
2:48 PM EDT, Tue April 30, 2024 | |
Source: CNN | |
A man accused of kicking a bison in the leg at Yellowstone National | |
Park while under the influence of alcohol was injured by the animal and | |
later arrested, park officials said Monday. | |
Clarence Yoder of Idaho Falls, Idaho, approached the bison “too | |
closely (within 25 yards)” on the afternoon of Sunday, April 21, on a | |
road about seven miles east of the park’s West Entrance, according to | |
a National Park Service news release. | |
The release said that park rangers went to the area after getting “a | |
report of an individual who harassed a herd of bison and kicked a bison | |
in the leg. They located the suspect’s vehicle near the West Entrance | |
and stopped it in the town of West Yellowstone, Montana.” | |
Rangers took the 40-year-old Yoder to a nearby medical facility where | |
he was “evaluated, treated and released from medical care,” the | |
release said. He then was taken to the Gallatin County Detention Center | |
in Bozeman, Montana. | |
The park did not have further details on the encounter or the nature of | |
Yoder’s injury. | |
Two arrests in the incident | |
Yoder faces four charges stemming from his arrest, the release said. | |
They are: | |
• 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• Disturbing wildlife | |
The driver of the vehicle in which Yoder traveled, 37-year-old McKenna | |
Bass of Idaho Falls, Idaho, was also arrested, the release said. Bass | |
faces the following charges: | |
• Driving under the influence• Interference for failure to yield to | |
emergency light activation• Disturbing wildlife | |
Yoder and Bass both waived their rights to be represented by attorneys | |
and entered not guilty pleas on April 22, according to US District | |
Court documents obtained by CNN, | |
Each violation can carry fines up to $5,000 and six months in jail, and | |
the case remains under investigation, the NPS release said. | |
First bison incident in 2024 | |
National parks can pose dangers to visitors, especially those who | |
don’t heed warnings about wildlife and natural hazards. | |
Yellowstone said this has been the first reported incident of a visitor | |
being injured by a bison in 2024. There was one reported incident in | |
2023 and three in 2022, the park said. | |
The park issues cautionary advice, telling visitor to remember that its | |
animals “are wild and can be dangerous when approached. | |
“When an animal is near a campsite, trail, boardwalk, parking lot or | |
in a developed area, give it space. Stay more than 25 yards (23 meters) | |
away from all large animals – bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose, | |
and coyotes – and at least 100 yards (91 meters) away from bears and | |
wolves.” | |
Fully grown male bison can reach up to 2,000 pounds (900 kilograms), . | |
Despite their bulk, they are considered agile and can run up to 30 | |
miles per hour (48 kilometers per hour). They can jump over objects | |
about 5 feet (1.5 meters) high and can be aggressive. | |
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