Terrifying moment bison chases tourist, tosses him 8ft into the air at US park
A bull bison chased a tourist and tossed him into the air at Yellowstone National Park's Bridge Bay Campground in the US state of Wyoming. The terrifying encounter has gone viral on social media.
A tourist was severely injured after being flung 8ft into the air by a charging bull bison at Yellowstone National Park's Bridge Bay Campground in the US state of Wyoming on Friday.
The incident occurred while the man was walking with his grandson near Fishing Bridge.
Professional wildlife photographer Mike MacLeod, who was camping nearby with his wife, witnessed the incident and shared his account, along with video footage, with Wyoming-based Cowboy State Daily, The Guardian reports.
"I was just trying to get some dramatic footage of that bison having a fit. It's changed my idea of what to expect from these guys at this time of year, because I would not have predicted that happening,” MacLeod told Cowboy State Daily.
MacLeod said that the nearly 900kg male bison wandered through the campground before suddenly charging towards a group of children who had been photographing it from what he described as a safe distance.
The bison continued racing through the campsite as frightened visitors shouted warnings to one another. Eventually, the man and his grandson came into view while the bison was resting in a patch of dust.
"He was sitting in the dust, like bison do, with his head out towards the road," MacLeod told the news outlet.
Video recorded by MacLeod shows the man and his grandson taking out their mobile phones to film the animal before deciding to leave the area as it began to rise.
"The grandfather's like, 'OK, time to leave,' and they moved off behind these trees," MacLeod said.
The bison then briefly turned its attention to a pickup truck, charging at it before the driver accelerated away. It subsequently headed toward the trees where both had taken cover.
While the grandson managed to escape, the man was chased around the trees. MacLeod told Cowboy State Daily that the animal struck the man with one of its horns and launched him into the air.
"The bison hooked him with his left horn on his hip and tossed him in the air," he said.
"He made a perfect flip and landed on his side. The bison was at least 6ft tall, and the victim was several feet above him," MacLeod added.
Fearing the bison would attack the man again, MacLeod said he stopped filming and rushed towards the animal in an attempt to scare it away.
"I was really afraid he was going to gore the guy on the ground, so I stopped videotaping and ran at the bison, yelled loud, and was trying to be as big and intimidating as possible," he told the outlet.
Other campers also intervened, prompting the bison to leave the area. MacLeod later said the victim's grandson informed him that his grandfather had "some pretty significant injuries and is not out of the woods yet.”
Although Yellowstone advises visitors to maintain a minimum distance of 25 yards from bison and other large animals - and at least 100 yards from predators such as bears, wolves and cougars - MacLeod said those at the campground had respected those guidelines.
Mike MacLeod believes the animal's aggressive behaviour was linked to the ongoing bison rutting, or mating, season.
The National Park Service (NPS), which manages Yellowstone National Park, said in a statement that the man sustained injuries and was transported to a nearby hospital by emergency medical personnel, adding that the incident remained under investigation.
A tourist was severely injured after being flung 8ft into the air by a charging bull bison at Yellowstone National Park's Bridge Bay Campground in the US state of Wyoming on Friday.
The incident occurred while the man was walking with his grandson near Fishing Bridge.
Professional wildlife photographer Mike MacLeod, who was camping nearby with his wife, witnessed the incident and shared his account, along with video footage, with Wyoming-based Cowboy State Daily, The Guardian reports.
"I was just trying to get some dramatic footage of that bison having a fit. It's changed my idea of what to expect from these guys at this time of year, because I would not have predicted that happening,” MacLeod told Cowboy State Daily.
MacLeod said that the nearly 900kg male bison wandered through the campground before suddenly charging towards a group of children who had been photographing it from what he described as a safe distance.
The bison continued racing through the campsite as frightened visitors shouted warnings to one another. Eventually, the man and his grandson came into view while the bison was resting in a patch of dust.
"He was sitting in the dust, like bison do, with his head out towards the road," MacLeod told the news outlet.
Video recorded by MacLeod shows the man and his grandson taking out their mobile phones to film the animal before deciding to leave the area as it began to rise.
"The grandfather's like, 'OK, time to leave,' and they moved off behind these trees," MacLeod said.
The bison then briefly turned its attention to a pickup truck, charging at it before the driver accelerated away. It subsequently headed toward the trees where both had taken cover.
While the grandson managed to escape, the man was chased around the trees. MacLeod told Cowboy State Daily that the animal struck the man with one of its horns and launched him into the air.
"The bison hooked him with his left horn on his hip and tossed him in the air," he said.
"He made a perfect flip and landed on his side. The bison was at least 6ft tall, and the victim was several feet above him," MacLeod added.
Fearing the bison would attack the man again, MacLeod said he stopped filming and rushed towards the animal in an attempt to scare it away.
"I was really afraid he was going to gore the guy on the ground, so I stopped videotaping and ran at the bison, yelled loud, and was trying to be as big and intimidating as possible," he told the outlet.
Other campers also intervened, prompting the bison to leave the area. MacLeod later said the victim's grandson informed him that his grandfather had "some pretty significant injuries and is not out of the woods yet.”
Although Yellowstone advises visitors to maintain a minimum distance of 25 yards from bison and other large animals - and at least 100 yards from predators such as bears, wolves and cougars - MacLeod said those at the campground had respected those guidelines.
Mike MacLeod believes the animal's aggressive behaviour was linked to the ongoing bison rutting, or mating, season.
The National Park Service (NPS), which manages Yellowstone National Park, said in a statement that the man sustained injuries and was transported to a nearby hospital by emergency medical personnel, adding that the incident remained under investigation.
