Yellowstone Tourist Injured And Arrested After Allegedly Kicking Bison

An Idaho man was injured and arrested after allegedly kicking a bison at Yellowstone National Park.

Clarence Yoder, 40, approached a bison about 7 miles from the park’s west entrance in Montana on April 21, the National Park Service said Monday. Rangers responded after receiving a report that someone had “harassed a herd of bison and kicked a bison in the leg.”

The park service said that Yoder “sustained minor injuries” in the process, without providing specifics.

“Rangers transported Yoder to a nearby medical facility where he was medically evaluated, treated and released from medical care,” the agency said. “He then was transported to the Gallatin County Detention Center.”

Yoder was charged with disorderly conduct, being under the influence of alcohol, approaching wildlife and disturbing wildlife. A companion named McKenna Bass, 37, was also arrested and charged with disturbing wildlife, failure to yield to emergency light activation, and driving under the influence of alcohol.

Both Yoder and Bass have pleaded not guilty to the charges. The park service said that each violation “can result in fines up to $5,000 and six months in jail.”

The last known injury from a bison at Yellowstone happened in July 2023 when a woman was gored at the park. The park service warns that bison “are unpredictable and can run three times faster than humans.”

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