Bison leaves older man with "significant injuries" after hurling him 8 feet in the air
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming – A dangerous situation unfolded at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming after a bison charged toward several people near a campsite, eventually charging at a senior citizen and tossing him high into the air.
A video of the shocking incident was filmed by photographer Mike MacLeod, who was on site and described the situation to Cowboy State Daily as follows.
Several campers warned each other about the looming danger, as the bison was simply tossing its head around in the dust when MacLeod started filming.
A man was walking nearby with his grandson when a white vehicle suddenly appeared on the scene, angering the bison.
The animal then charged at the grandfather and grandson.
"They weren't even in that camping loop," McLeod recalled. "They were walking along the road, quite a ways away from the bison, and it started running at them."
While the child managed to get away, the older man was less fortunate. The bison struck him with its left horn on his left hip and hurled him about 8 feet into the air.
MacLeod reported that the victim "made a perfect flip and landed on his side" during the fall.
The animal didn’t run away, but rather shook its head excitedly and looked down at the man lying on the ground, leading those nearby to spring into action, shouting until the bison finally fled.
Yellowstone EMS arrived at the scene quickly and took over. MacLeod said he's been in touch with the victim’s grandson, who said that his grandfather "has some pretty significant injuries and is not out of the woods yet."
No explanation for the incident has been provided by the national park.
Cover photo: Collage: 123RF/pngstudio, 123RF/jnerad