Pennsylvania wildlife park employee gored by bison during safari tour bus ride

A Lake Tobias Wildlife Park employee was gored in the leg recently by a bison during a safari tour bus ride.

The animal struck 19-year-old Riley Blanchard around 1:30 p.m. June 17 while she was giving a tour to 40 to 50 passengers. She has been working for the Dauphin County wildlife park, near Halifax, as a safari tour bus driver for two seasons, she told PennLive.

“It’s my most favorite job I ever had, and I love the park,” she said Monday. “This was just a freak accident.”

Halfway through the 45-minute-long safari ride, Blanchard stopped the bus to speak to passengers about a large bison that was standing nearby. As Blanchard stood on the steps while engaging with passengers, the bison approached her.

“I reached out to pet his fur, which was probably my mistake,” she said. “I’ve done it a bunch of times before, although this particular time he wasn’t a huge fan of it.”

That’s when the bison gored her, causing her to fall out of the bus.

She said once the bison struck her, he turned and walked away. Meanwhile, Blanchard was able to get back on the bus, adding that most of the passengers hadn’t noticed what happened.

“I can’t say I really remember (the feeling),” she said. “I was in shock, but I was also focused on getting up on the bus and aiding my leg.”

Two passengers who did notice the incident were eager to help and grabbed the first aid kit for her.

Meanwhile, she contacted the park’s first aid station for help. Once they arrived, they loaded her onto a utility vehicle and drove to a more accessible location in the park for an ambulance, she said. She was hospitalized and released the same day, according to Blanchard.

“The manager came over and calmed me down because I was in shock,” she said. “I was breathing hard and little panicky at the time. But he helped me through it all. Looking back, I thought I was panicking, but everyone handled the situation very well and quickly.”

Blanchard said she understands that the park is planning to install doors on all of its safari tour buses as a safety precaution for employees. The tour bus she was operating had chains across the entry way, which also made it easy for the bison to stick his head in and strike her.

She categorized the incident as a “minor injury,” telling PennLive she ended up with a few stitches on the back of her left thigh. She said the bison’s horn wasn’t able to hit any arteries or bones.

“I’m doing very good, I’m able to walk and get around very normally,” she said. “I’m almost gotten back to my normal walk.”

Blanchard, who was advised by her doctor to stay out of work for two weeks, said she’s looking forward to returning in July.

“I love animals and I think I just got a little too comfortable with the bison, it’s a wild animal,” she said. “With his babies being born, I think his testosterone was probably all off and it was just a wrong-place- wrong-time type of situation.”

Blanchard said she’s glad it happened to her and not any other wildlife employees.

“I was told that my height saved my life,” she said. “I’m 6’4, so if I was the average span height of a female it could’ve hit a different spot on my body. I also have thicker thighs, so I’m a little heavier.”

When contacted, a park spokesperson said the situation has been resolved.