Bison dies after wandering into scalding waters of Yellowstone hot spring
The National Park Service said the temperature of the water in Grand Prismatic Spring is about 192 degrees, or just shy of the boiling point at the park's elevation.
Yellowstone National Park officials are reminding visitors to cautiously view the park’s iconic hot springs, after a bison recently slipped into the Grand Prismatic Spring and died.
Grand Prismatic Spring measures over 300 feet – or the length of a football field – at its widest point, making it not only one of the largest hot springs in the country but one of the largest in the world, according to the National Park Service.
One bison walking by the hot spring on June 21 took a grave misstep and slipped into a shallow part of the thermal feature. The NPS said the extreme temperature of the geothermically-heated water, which measures at around 192 degrees - just shy of the boiling point at that elevation - severely startled the bison.
FILE - A bison grazes on grasses in the Hayden Valley section of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.
(Robert Alexander / Getty Images)
The animal then tried to escape the hot spring, but stumbled into deeper water and quickly died.
Park officials said the bison’s body will quickly break down in the near-boiling water, leaving behind only bones. The body will be left alone to let nature take its course.
YELLOWSTONE EXPLOSION AT BISCUIT BASIC GEYSER SENDS DEBRIS FLYING, DESTROYS BOARDWALK
The NPS added that attempting to retrieve the animal’s body would not only be dangerous for those involved, but it would also potentially damage the colorful bacterial mats that inspired the name of Grand Prismatic Spring. Such damage could take more than a year for nature to repair.
The largest hot spring in Yellowstone National Park is Grand Prismatic Spring. Its vibrant colors are caused by bacteria that can survive in the spring's extreme temperatures.
(Inger Vandyke / VW PICS / Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
The bison fatality is one of many animal fatalities that naturally occur at Yellowstone hot springs and other hydrothermal features, officials said. They noted that, while animals can sense the heat of the features through their hooves, some of them may still accidentally step into one.
Elk skeleton at the bottom of Doublet Pool on Geyser Hill near Old Faithful, imaged by an underwater camera in 2022.
(Mara Reed, University of California, Berkeley / FOX Weather)
The recent incident serves as a reminder to all park visitors to remain vigilant when visiting hot springs and to remain on the boardwalks in thermal areas, the NPS said.
"Many thermal areas have thin crusts at the surface that overlie boiling waters or even hotter steam," they noted. "Many injuries and fatalities to people have happened off boardwalk, when people have broken through these crusts, stepped on an unsupported sinter ledge, or stumbled into springs that were obscured or not obvious."
Park officials also remind visitors to never run, push or shove one another in hydrothermal areas, to supervise children at all times and to refrain from scratching the hydrothermal mats.
"You are responsible for your safety," the NPS said. "Think safety, act safely. Yellowstone is a dangerous place."