Infos zum Yellowstone NP

Yellowstone-Nationalpark: Verhinderter Amoklauf - Schütze wollte offenbar Blutbad anrichten

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Mit einem Gewehr stürmte ein 28-Jähriger einen Speisesaal im Yellowstone-Nationalpark und wurde von Rangern erschossen. Zuvor soll er eine Frau bedroht und Massenerschießungen angekündigt haben.

Im Yellowstone-Nationalpark im US-Bundesstaat Wyoming ist offenbar ein Blutbad verhindert worden. Wie US-Medien berichten, wollte der von Rangern schwer verletzte und später gestorbene Samson F. offenbar etliche Menschen erschießen.

Der 28-Jährige hatte am Morgen des 4. Juli, dem Unabhängigkeitstag der USA, mit einem halb automatischen Gewehr auf einen öffentlichen Speisesaal in der Canyon Lodge des Nationalparks gefeuert. Dort befanden sich zum Tatzeitpunkt etwa 200 Mitarbeiter und Besucher.

Wie ein Sprecher des Nationalparks am Dienstag mitteilte, soll der Täter wenige Stunden zuvor eine Frau in einer Unterkunft in Canyon Village am nördlichen Ende des Yellowstone-Parks mit vorgehaltener Waffe bedroht und ihr gesagt haben, dass er eine Massenerschießung plane.

Etwa 20 Ranger, darunter ein spezielles Einsatzkommando des Nationalparks, machten sich daraufhin auf die Suche. Gegen acht Uhr am Donnerstagmorgen fanden sie ihn vor dem Hintereingang zu dem Speisesaal und erwiderten das Feuer.

Der Angreifer wurde von mehreren Kugeln getroffen und so schwer verletzt, dass er noch am Tatort starb. Auch ein Ranger wurde verletzt, er konnte das Krankenhaus aber inzwischen wieder verlassen.

Der Schütze hatte offenbar eine konkrete Verbindung zum Tatort: Er arbeitete für Xanterra Parks and Resorts, ein US-weit tätiges Resortmanagement-Unternehmen mit Sitz in Greenwood Village, Colorado. Vor seinem vereitelten Angriff hatte F. seinen Mitarbeiterausweis ins Internet gestellt.

»Dank des heldenhaften Handelns unserer Ranger wurden hier am vergangenen Donnerstag viele Leben gerettet«, teilte der Superintendent des Yellowstone-Nationalparks, Cam Sholly, mit.

Jetzt ermittelt das FBI in dem Fall. Gemäß der internen Vorgaben des National Park Service müssen an einem Waffeneinsatz beteiligte Ranger für die Zeit der laufenden Ermittlungen in bezahlten Urlaub geschickt werden. Ob dies bereits geschehen ist, war noch unklar.

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Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone National Park temporarily closed due to hydrothermal explosion

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On Tuesday, July 23, at about 10:19 a.m., a localized hydrothermal explosion occurred near Sapphire Pool in Biscuit Basin, located just north of Old Faithful.

Biscuit Basin, including the parking lot and boardwalks, are temporarily closed for safety reasons. The Grand Loop Road remains open.

No injuries were reported and the extent of damage is unknown at this time.

Park staff and staff from USGS will monitor conditions and reopen the area once deemed safe.

No other monitoring data show changes in the Yellowstone region. Today’s explosion does not reflect a change in the volcanic system, which remains at normal background levels of activity.

This is an evolving incident, and additional details will be shared as more facts are known.

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Yellowstone National Park Warns Visitors to Keep Their Distance from Elk During Upcoming Mating Season

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Mating season typically takes place between September and October.

Yellowstone National Park is warning visitors to take extra caution around bull elk as mating season is approaching.

According to a recent alert from the National Park Servic, park goers should always keep a respectable distance from wildlife, however that’s especially true during the mating season, which typically takes place in September and October. In the summer, there are anywhere from 10,000 to 20,000 elk in the park living in six to seven different herds.

“Bull elk are unpredictable and much more aggressive during this time of year and people have been severely injured,” the NPS wrote in a statement. “Elk run quickly and may change direction without warning. Attacks can be unprovoked and unpredictable.”

During mating season, or the “rut” as it’s commonly called, elk can typically be seen in the northern range, including by Mammoth Hot Springs, as well as by the Madison River, according to the NPS. Calves are then born in May to late June.

The NPS said travelers should always keep at least 75 feet between them and an elk — or the length of two full-sized buses — and to back away immediately if an elk approaches them. Travelers should also look around corners before exiting a building or walking around a blind spot in case there’s an unsuspecting animal there.

If an elk does charge, the NPS said visitors should shelter in their vehicle or run “behind a tall, sturdy barrier as quickly as possible.” And if shelter is not available, they should simply run.

Capturing photos of wildlife is one of the coolest activities in Yellowstone, but visitors should never approach or pursue an animal to take their picture. Instead, the NPS recommends travelers use a lens with a focal length of 300 mm or more.

Male elk, or bulls, weigh about 700 pounds and stand about 5-feet-high at the shoulder. Female elk, or cows, weigh about 500 pounds and tend to be shorter than their male counterparts. Male elk may also be seen with antlers, which start growing in the spring, but usually drop in March or April of the next year.

They typically eat grass, sedges, other herbs and shrubs, the bark of aspen trees, conifer needles, burned bark, and aquatic plants.

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Woman sustains thermal burns in Yellowstone National Park, park says

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A 60-year-old woman from New Hampshire suffered second- and third-degree burns to her lower leg on Monday while walking in a thermal area in Yellowstone National Park, the park said Wednesday.

The park said she was near Mallard Lake Trailhead at Old Faithful. “The woman was walking off-trail with her husband and leashed dog in a thermal area when she broke through a thin crust over scalding water and suffered burns to her leg,” the park said. “The husband and dog were not injured.”

The woman and her husband went to a park medical clinic, and she was later transported via helicopter to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center for further treatment, the park said.

The park reminded visitors to stay on boardwalks and trails in hydrothermal areas and “exercise extreme caution” because the ground is fragile and “there is scalding water just below the surface.”

The park also said pets are prohibited on boardwalks, hiking trails, in the backcountry and in thermal areas.

The park did not say whether the woman would be cited; it said the incident is under investigation and the park had no additional information to share. “This is the first known thermal injury inYellowstone in 2024,” the park said.

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Select Yellowstone National Park entrances and roads open to public April 18

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Beginning at 8 a.m. Friday, April 18, 2025, select entrances and roads in Yellowstone National Park will open for the summer season, weather permitting, as part of the annual spring opening.

Entrances Open on April 18

North Entrance (Gardiner, Montana)

West Entrance (West Yellowstone, Montana)

From either entrance, visitors may access the following destinations:

Mammoth Hot Springs

Lamar Valley

Norris Geyser Basin

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Old Faithful

Silver Gate and Cooke City, Montana

Additional roads within the park will open throughout May, weather permitting. Specific routes and directions can be found at Park Roads.

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