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HURRICANE, Utah (AP) -- A 55-year-old woman from Denmark was gored in the groin by a bison while attempting to take pictures of the animal on a farm.
The woman was in stable condition Friday, following surgery at Dixie Regional Medical Center Thursday after the attack.
Don Dennett, owner of the Elk Farm where the attack occurred, said he was told the woman was standing on one of the rungs of the fence when the bison gored her.
Springdale/Zion Police Chief Kurt Wright, however, said there were no eyewitnesses to the attack.
Dennett said he has two signs along the fence where the bison are fenced in warning visitors that the animals may bump the fence.
"She had to have been leaning on the fence," Dennett said. "The fence won't bend that far because it's a steel fence."
This isn't the first time a bison has attacked a visitor.
Dennett said a young girl was butted in the face by a bison while leaning over the fence. Wright said there was another incident when a woman had her arm gored when she put her hand in to touch the bison. Dennett said he has the signs up for a reason.
"These are wild animals, not a dog," Dennett said. "In Yellowstone, people get hurt because they are trying to get a little closer (to the animals)."
Dennett said he is installing another fence from the main fence to keep people from getting too close. Bison are considered domesticated animals and are not required to be fenced in by state law. Wright said the incident is still under investigation.
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Information from: The Spectrum, http://www.thespectrum.com
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
