MNN Woman Learns The Hard Way – Bison’s Don’t Purr

Personally, I can't understand why some people think that something so large and intimidating is approachable

Some quick examples compare to the news story I'm about to pass on to you - If you ever watched Mike Tyson fight in person, in his prime, did you ever feel compelled to rush over and give him a bear hug? I'm guessing probably not. Did you ever at one point prove to someone else just how brave you are by darting across the railroad tracks seconds before a train comes barreling through? Once again I'm guessing probably not.

WHY do some people STILL have a fantasy about walking up and petting a 2,000-pound Bison?

That is the question that continues to mystify the average person. Serious injury usually occurs to those that are naive enough to think their good-natured charm will win over a Bison. It happened again recently to a Minnesota woman, according to ca.finance.com "  A bison “severely injured” a woman visiting a national park from out of state, authorities said. Park rangers and local authorities responded to Painted Canyon Trailhead, where they found the visitor with “significant injuries to her abdomen and foot,” according to the release. She was treated at the scene, then rushed to a hospital for further treatment"

Here are just a few facts that SHOULD keep you far far away from a Bison

For one thing, they tend to be fairly large - like up to 2,000 pounds, and most importantly they can and WILL be able to catch you ( and run over you ) since according to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park "...they can run up to 30 mph"

So let us do a quick final review...

!) It is ok to pet this animal...

2) ...definitely NOT with this bad boy.