Accused Of Kicking Bison While Drunk In National Park And Injured, This Man Was Arrested And Faced With Four Indictments

Bison at Yellowstone National Park. (Wikimedia Commons/NPS/Jim Peaco)

JAKARTA - A man accused of kicking bison in a national park while drunk, the behavior that injured him and made him have to deal with the law.

mbassy Yoder of Idaho, Idaho is accused of kicking bison's feet in Yellowstone National Park, United States, park officials said.

The release of the National Park Service news said Yoder approached bison "too close (within 25 yards)" on Sunday afternoon, April 21, on the road about seven miles east of the park's West Entrance, quoted from CNN May 5.

The release said parkkeepers went to the area after receiving "reports of someone harassing a herd of bison and kicking bison legs. They found the suspect's vehicle near the West Entrance and stopped it in the city of West Yellowstone, Montana. "

Rangers took 40-year-old Yoder to a nearby medical facility where he was "evaluated, treated and released from medical treatment," the release said, before being taken to the Gallatin County Detention Center in Bozeman, Montana.

The park did not have further details about the incident or the nature of Yoder's injuries. However, it faces four charges, including: being under the influence of alcohol to levels that can endanger itself, disordered behavior that can cause harm, approaching wildlife, disturbing wildlife.

Apart from Yoder, the authorities also arrested and charged the driver of the vehicle he was traveling in, McKenna Bass. He was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, interference due to failure to turn on emergency lights and disturb wildlife.

Both Yoder and Bass both gave up their rights to be represented by lawyers and filed an innocence statement on April 22, according to a US District Court document obtained by CNN.

Any offense can be fined up to $5.000 and a sentence of six months in prison. This case is still in the process of being investigated, the NPS release said.

This is the first incident involving bison in Yellowstone National Park in 2024. Previously, there was one incident reported in 2023 and three incidents in 2022, the national park said.

The national park issued warning advice, telling visitors to remember the animals were "giant and could be dangerous when approached.

"When an animal is near a camp, footpath, footpath, parking lot or in an area that has been developed, keep your distance. Keep yourself more than 25 yards (23 meters) of all the large animals, bison, deer, bighorn sheep, big deer and jungle dogs, as well as at least 100 yards (91 meters) of bears and wolves."

Adult male dysons can weigh up to 2,000 pounds (900 kilograms), the national park said. Although large, they are considered agile and can run up to 30 miles per hour (48 kilometers per hour). They can jump over objects as high as 5 feet (1.5 meters) and can become aggressive.