Just over a dozen bison were killed or had to be euthanized after they were struck by vehicles on U.S. Highway 191 just north of the town of West Yellowstone, the western entrance to Yellowstone National Park, officials said.
West Yellowstone Police Chief Mike Gavagan said three vehicles, including a semitruck, hit the bison at about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Some bison were killed in the collisions and others were put down due to the severity of their injuries, leaving a total of 13 bison dead.
No one in the vehicles was injured, NBC Montana reported.
It was dark at the time of the crash, making it hard for the drivers to see the bison. The animals’ eyes don’t reflect light like deer do, contributing to the difficulty in seeing them on the road, officials said.
The National Park Service says more than 5,000 bison live in Yellowstone, a population brought back from the brink of extinction at the turn of the 20th century. The animals, which typically live 12-15 years, can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds and run as fast as 35 miles per hour.
Earlier this year, three people were injured in encounters with bison. A 71-year-old Pennsylvania woman was taken to a hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries after being charged by a bison in June, just days after a 34-year-old Colorado man was gored by a bison in an attack caught on video. A month earlier, a bison gored and tossed a 25-year-old Ohio woman 10 feet in the air.
Visitors are required to stay at least 25 yards from bison, which can be unpredictable and dangerous.
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