An Idaho man was arrested for allegedly harassing bison in Yellowstone National Park/NPS file
Editor’s note: This updates with park staff saying the man was gored by the bison.
An Idaho man who allegedly kicked a bison and in turn was injured by the animal in Yellowstone National Park was arrested on several counts and faces the possibility of thousands of dollars in fines and time in jail.
Clarence Yoder, of Idaho Falls, reportedly kicked the animal in the leg on April 21 along the park’s West Entrance Road near the Seven Mile Bridge, and the bison in turn gored the man, according to a park release. Rangers who responded to the area after receiving a report of a man harassing a herd of bison found Yoder’s vehicle near the West Entrance and stopped it in the town of West Yellowstone, Montana.
The 40-year-old Yoder was arrested and charged with being under the influence of alcohol, disorderly conduct, approaching wildlife, and disturbing wildlife, the park release said. The driver of the vehicle Yoder traveled in, 37-year-old McKenna Bass, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, was also arrested and cited for driving under the influence, interference for failure to yield to emergency light activation, and disturbing wildlife, it added.
Yoder sustained unspecified minor injuries from the encounter with the bison, according to the release, and rangers took him to a medical facility where he was medically evaluated, treated, and released from medical care. He then was transported to the Gallatin County Detention Center. Yoder and Bass appeared in court on April 22 and pleaded innocent to the charges.
Each violation can result in fines up to $5,000 and six months in jail.
This is the first reported incident of a visitor being injured by a bison in 2024. The last reported incident occurred on July 17, 2023. There was one reported incident in 2023 and three in 2022.
