A quick-thinking woman's decision to "play dead" after tripping while running from a charging bison has potentially saved her from serious injury - or worse.

The incident took place at Nez Perce Creek at Yellowstone National Park in Montana, and the entire thing was caught on camera.

In the footage, a man and woman can be seen running from the bison as it charges, and when the woman falls, she plays dead, causing the bison to come to a halt beside her.

In an interview with KBZK news station, an eyewitness said the woman "is a Montana local so she knew to play dead in that situation" and she walked away from the scene "without a scratch".

Visitors coming too close to bison at Yellowstone National Park has been an ongoing issue for years.

Bison have the ability to reach 40mph and weigh in at a huge, powerful size, with males potentially reaching 2000lbs (907kg).

After five people were gored within the space of three months, the park started issuing pamphlets to visitors warning them of the dangers of bison in 2015.

At the time, Yellowstone spokesperson Amy Bartlett said: "I just don't think people realize how fast bison move. They're big animals, but they move quickly. And so when a bison becomes agitated, it doesn't take him long to cover that short distance.

"A ranger can't be at every bison all the time, so people need to keep that common sense."

This comes after a 72-year-old was woman gored multiple times by a bison at Yellowstone National Park last month after she got too close to the animal while taking pictures.

Yellowstone's Senior Bison Biologist Chris Geremia said: "The series of events that led to the goring suggest the bison was threatened by being repeatedly approached to within 10 feet.

"Bison are wild animals that respond to threats by displaying aggressive behaviors like pawing the ground, snorting, bobbing their head, bellowing, and raising their tail. If that doesn't make the threat (in this instance it was a person) move away, a threatened bison may charge.

"To be safe around bison, stay at least 25 yards away, move away if they approach, and run away or find cover if they charge."

A quick-thinking woman's decision to "play dead" after tripping while running from a charging bison has potentially saved her from serious injury - or worse.

The incident took place at Nez Perce Creek at Yellowstone National Park in Montana, and the entire thing was caught on camera.

In the footage, a man and woman can be seen running from the bison as it charges, and when the woman falls, she plays dead, causing the bison to come to a halt beside her.

In an interview with KBZK news station, an eyewitness said the woman "is a Montana local so she knew to play dead in that situation" and she walked away from the scene "without a scratch".

Visitors coming too close to bison at Yellowstone National Park has been an ongoing issue for years.

Bison have the ability to reach 40mph and weigh in at a huge, powerful size, with males potentially reaching 2000lbs (907kg).

After five people were gored within the space of three months, the park started issuing pamphlets to visitors warning them of the dangers of bison in 2015.

At the time, Yellowstone spokesperson Amy Bartlett said: "I just don't think people realize how fast bison move. They're big animals, but they move quickly. And so when a bison becomes agitated, it doesn't take him long to cover that short distance.

"A ranger can't be at every bison all the time, so people need to keep that common sense."

This comes after a 72-year-old was woman gored multiple times by a bison at Yellowstone National Park last month after she got too close to the animal while taking pictures.

Yellowstone's Senior Bison Biologist Chris Geremia said: "The series of events that led to the goring suggest the bison was threatened by being repeatedly approached to within 10 feet.

"Bison are wild animals that respond to threats by displaying aggressive behaviors like pawing the ground, snorting, bobbing their head, bellowing, and raising their tail. If that doesn't make the threat (in this instance it was a person) move away, a threatened bison may charge.

"To be safe around bison, stay at least 25 yards away, move away if they approach, and run away or find cover if they charge."