MAMMOTH SPRINGS – A woman was seriously injured by an elk Sunday in Yellowstone National Park.
According to a press release, Charlene Triplett, 51 from Las Vegas, was attacked by a cow elk behind the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel.
The elk was protecting a calf bedded down about 20 feet away and hidden by other cars. It’s unclear if Triplett saw the cow or calk prior to the attack.
The elk reared up and kicked the woman multiple times with its front legs, hitting her head, torso and back.
The woman was flown to a trauma center at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center with serious injuries.
Triplett is an employee of the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel but was not working at the time of the attack.
Rangers stayed in the are for some time to warn others about the cow and calf.
No citation was issued.
