Boy, 12, attacked by 900kg bison in shocking attack as child rushed to hospital

A 12-year-old boy was taken to hospital after a frightening encounter with a bison in Yellowstone National Park on Friday morning.

The incident occurred at 9.15am in the area north of Fishing Bridge, close to the park's famous Mud Volcano in Wyoming, USA.

The animal, estimated to weigh 900kg, attacked the child who was visiting the park at the time, although park authorities have not disclosed the severity of the boy's injuries.

An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the attack is currently ongoing, according to Yellowstone officials, as incidents of this scale are rare in the area.

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Park officials issued a warning to visitors following the attack, stating: "Bison have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal."

They added that the animals are "unpredictable, can run three times faster than humans and will defend their space when threatened."

Authorities emphasised that wildlife can turn aggressive when people fail to keep a safe distance and respect the space of the territorial creatures.

Visitors are required to keep a minimum distance of 25 yards from large animals such as bison, elk, deer, moose and coyotes.

For bears, wolves and cougars, the mandatory distance increases to 100 yards.

Officials urged people never to approach, touch or feed any wildlife, regardless of how docile an animal may appear.

Albeit it rare, this is not the first time visitors have been injured by bison at the popular American national park.

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Last year, a 30-year-old man from Randolph, New Jersey, was mauled by one of the massive animals in front of shocked onlookers.

Park officials said he had been part of a larger group that ventured too close to the bison.

The visitor received treatment for minor injuries following the attack, which also occurred early in the morning.

A month before that incident, a 47-year-old visitor from Cape Coral, Florida, also sustained minor injuries after being struck by a bison in the Lake Village area.

Yellowstone preserves the most important bison herd in the United States, and is the only place in the country where bison have lived continuously since prehistoric times.

Yellowstone bison comprise the nation’s largest bison population on public land, and has thousands allowed to roam relatively freely over the expansive landscape.

They also exhibit wild behavior like their ancient ancestors, congregating during the breeding season to compete for mates, as well as migration and exploration that result in the use of new habitat areas.

These behaviors have enabled the successful restoration of a population that was on the brink of extinction just over a century ago.

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