Massive Bison Tosses Tourist Several Feet into the Air at Yellowstone National Park

A grandfather is recovering after a bison suddenly charged and flipped him into the air at Yellowstone National Park. The frightening attack happened on July 10 at Bridge Bay Campground during bison rut season, when bulls become especially aggressive as they compete for mates.

Photographer Mike MacLeod was filming the massive bull when the encounter unfolded.

Just moments earlier, the bison had charged toward another group of visitors before settling back down in the dust. Believing the danger had passed, the grandfather and his grandchild were walking along the nearby road and stopped to take a few photos.

According to MacLeod, they were about 100 yards away from the bison—well beyond Yellowstone’s recommended minimum viewing distance for bison.

Then, without warning, the bison charged. The grandfather tried to run and take cover behind trees, but the animal caught up to him, hooked him in the hip with a horn, and tossed him several feet into the air.

“He made a perfect flip and landed on his side,” MacLeod told Cowboy State Daily. “The bison was at least six feet tall, and he was several feet above him.”

Fearing the bison would attack again, MacLeod stopped filming and ran toward the animal, shouting and making himself appear as large as possible to distract it while others called for help. The man’s grandchild was not injured, and park rangers treated the grandfather’s hip and leg injuries at the scene before he was taken for further medical care.

MacLeod later said the attack appeared completely unpredictable. He described the grandfather and his grandchild as respectful of the wildlife and said the bison seemed unusually agitated, charging at multiple people throughout the area.

The incident is a sobering reminder that even when visitors appear to be giving wildlife plenty of space Yellowstone’s animals are wild and unpredictable. Observing them from inside a vehicle whenever possible and remaining alert to their behavior can make all the difference.