A bison attacked a man in Yellowstone National Park
A man was seriously injured after being thrown about eight feet into the air by a raging bull in the US’s Yellowstone National Park on Friday, according to an eyewitness who filmed the attack.The incident occurred at Bridge Bay Campground when the victim and his grandson were taking an evening hike. Photographer Mike McLeod, who was camping nearby, said the couple remained a long distance from the animal before it suddenly lunged.A video circulated on social media also shows the bull running and eventually targeting the man and throwing him into the air.
McLeod said the bull was already moving aggressively across the campground, forcing several visitors to scatter, before eventually targeting two walkers.
“They were walking along the road, right away from the bull, and he started running toward them,” he said, according to the Cowboy State Daily.The grandson escaped unharmed, but the older man was chased around a group of trees before the animal caught him.According to McLeod, the bison struck the man with one of its horns, sending him high into the air before landing hard on his side.The witness said the animal remained close to the injured man, raising fears it might attack again.
“I was really afraid he was going to gore the guy on the ground,” McLeod said, adding that he and a number of bystanders rushed towards the bull, screaming, which eventually drove it away.A short time later, emergency paramedics arrived and transported the injured person for treatment. Although there were no obvious external injuries, McLeod said the victim complained of severe pain in his hip and leg. Later, the man’s grandson informed him that his grandfather had suffered “very serious injuries” and was still in serious condition.McLeod said the attack was special because, unlike many wildlife encounters in Yellowstone, visitors acted responsibly. He said: I did not see anyone approaching. “People…kept their distance. They were very respectful.”He described the bull as unusually aggressive, saying it attacked several people and even a passing pickup truck before attacking the victim.The attack comes during Yellowstone’s annual bison mating season, which lasts from June to September. During this period, male bison are known to become more territorial and aggressive as they compete for mates.The incident is the second reported bison attack against a visitor in Yellowstone this year. A 12-year-old boy was injured in a separate encounter near the Mud Volcano area of the park in June.
