Montana Woman Attacked By Her Own Bison

We all know one of the golden rules here in Montana—don’t pet the fluffy cows. And if you’re new around here, “fluffy cows” is a different way of saying bison. For some reason, folks continue to get too close, and every year we see headlines about bison attacks—usually because someone didn’t give them the space they deserve.

Most of the time, these incidents involve tourists who aren’t aware of just how unpredictable and powerful these animals are. On average, Yellowstone sees about two bison attacks per year, and they’re the number one cause of animal-related injuries in the park.

The first bison attack of 2025 in Yellowstone happened on Sunday, May 4, near the Lake Village area of the park.

Just for reference, a bison can weigh up to 2,000 pounds, stand 6 feet tall, and will absolutely defend its space if they feel threatened. They’re fast, powerful, and can cause serious damage in seconds.

While most bison-related injuries happen to visitors, one rare—and terrifying—incident this past January involved a local Montanan. Dr. Kris Spanjian, a retired cardiac anesthesiologist from Billings, was out for her usual walk with her dogs when she was attacked. Not in the park, but on her own ranch, by her own herd of bison in a freak accident.

Spanjian said the bison typically stay far from her walking route, but this time, things aligned just wrong. The herd got spooked by her dogs, and in the chaos, she ended up caught in the middle.

“At that point, I just laid there and I knew I better just not move at all. I was thinking, ‘What do you do if a grizzly bear attacks? You play dead.’ So I figured I better just play dead,” Spanjian told reporters.

But even after she tried to crawl away, a bull and calf circled back for a second hit. She was airlifted to St. Vincent Regional Hospital with serious injuries—a split lip, three broken vertebrae, three broken ribs, a deep gash on her leg, a dislocated shoulder, and nerve damage. It’s nothing short of a miracle that she survived.

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She’s now recovering, and her story is a sobering reminder that Montana is wild, and we live alongside animals that deserve respect. Even the fluffy ones.