A 40-year-old man who allegedly kicked a bison in the leg while under the influence of alcohol at Yellowstone National Park, was injured by the animal and arrested, officials say.
Clarence Yoder, a 40-year-old man from Idaho Falls, Idaho, approached a bison in Yellowstone National Park on the afternoon of April 21, and was injured by the animal on the West Entrance Road near the Seven Mile Bridge, located 7 miles east of the park’s West Entrance, according to a statement from the National Park Service.
“Rangers responded to the area after receiving a report of an individual who harassed a herd of bison and kicked a bison in the leg,” officials said in a statement detailing the altercation. “They located the suspect’s vehicle near the West Entrance and stopped it in the town of West Yellowstone, Montana.”
Yoder was arrested and charged with being under the influence of alcohol to a degree that may endanger oneself, disorderly conduct as to create or maintain a hazardous condition, approaching wildlife, and disturbing wildlife.
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.
Yoder and Bass appeared in court on April 22 and pleaded not guilty to the charges, authorities said. Each violation can result in fines up to $5,000 and six months in jail.
