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Second Yellowstone visitor injured in bison encounter

Katherine Chappell, 22 years old, of Rye, New York died on Monday from injuries sustained when a lioness attacked her through an open car window as she was snapping pictures of animals in Lion Park in Gauteng province, South Africa.

On Tuesday, a 62-year-old Australian man sustained serious, but not life-threatening injuries when he was tossed through the air by a bison while taking pictures with his notepad, near Old Faithful Lodge in Yellowstone National Park.

This was the second incident of an encounter with a bison that went wrong. On May 16, a 15-year-old Taiwanese girl was gored by a bison while posing with the creature in back of her for a picture.

While it is tragic that the young Miss Chappell lost her life, the Taiwanese schoolgirl ended up being gored, and the Australian tourist was tossed through the air, causing him to be hospitalized, we have to remember that in all three of these cases, we cannot blame the wild animals.

Yellowstone bison toss
In Yellowstone Park, a bison was lying in on the grass near an asphalt path, not far from Old Faithful Lodge on Tuesday. A crowd of tourists began to crowd around the animal, all wanting a close-up look. The Australian tourist, wanting some good pictures, got within three to five feet of the bison with his notepad.

The wild animal rose and charged, tossing the man several times through the air. When rangers arrived on the scene, the bison was standing quietly about 100 years away. The injured tourist was taken to a ground ambulance and then airlifted by helicopter to a hospital. He suffered injuries that are not considered life-threatening.

On May 15, a Taiwanese exchange student visiting the park with her host family, got within six feet of a bison, and turned her back on it, posing for a picture. The animal took a step or two and gored her. Luckily, the young lady only received injuries not considered life-threatening.

Death in the Lion Park
In the Lion Park incident, Chappell and her tour guide, Pierre Potgieter, 66, had driven up to an area in the park to take pictures of the lions. On arriving, Chappell “rolled down the passenger window in order to take photographs,” according to Potgieter’s company, Kalabash Tours.

Even though other tourists honked their horns to raise her attention, Chappell continued taking pictures as a lioness approached her side of the car. The inevitable happened, and the lioness attacked her through the open window, grabbing her neck. Potgieter tried to fend off the animal, suffering injuries himself, as well as possibly having a heart attack.

Interestingly, a notice warning guests to keep their windows closed was found on the passenger side seat of the vehicle, according to an anonymous source, says CNN. Scott Simpson, an assistant operations manager at Lion Park says, “There are numerous signs, and we hand out slips of paper to all guests warning them to keep their windows closed.”

In all these wild animal attacks, the animal was not to blame. Warning signs are put in place for our protection. That is why we have stop lights that light up in red, and why we have signs saying to slow down on sharp curves. It is the same thing for wild animals. From signs on beaches telling visitors they will swim at their own risk because of shark attacks or rip tides, to signs that say to stay away from the wildlife or keep our car windows closed.

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We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our dear friend Karen Graham, who served as Editor-at-Large at Digital Journal. She was 78 years old. Karen's view of what is happening in our world was colored by her love of history and how the past influences events taking place today. Her belief in humankind's part in the care of the planet and our environment has led her to focus on the need for action in dealing with climate change. It was said by Geoffrey C. Ward, "Journalism is merely history's first draft." Everyone who writes about what is happening today is indeed, writing a small part of our history.

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