A man is currently recovering from serious injuries after a bison in Yellowstone National Park tossed him eight feet in the air as he was trying to run away from the animal at a campground.
A 65-year-old man was injured by a bison on the evening of July 10 at Bridge Bay Campground near Yellowstone Lake in Yellowstone National Park, the Public Affairs Office for Yellowstone National Park told Global News in a statement.
“Park emergency medical personnel responded and transported him to a nearby hospital,” the statement added.
The man, identified as 65-year-old Carl Isom-McDaniel, suffered multiple broken bones, according to the New York Times.
The attack took place around 8:30 p.m. local time on Friday night at Bridge Bay Campground near Yellowstone Lake in Wyoming.
In the video of the attack, taken by photographer Mike MacLeod, the bull bison appears to be agitated and roaming around the campground before charging at Isom-McDaniel.
The bison is seen in the video rolling around in the grass before a white truck passes, then the animal begins to charge toward Isom-McDaniel and his grandson, who attempted to hide behind a group of trees.
Once the bison caught up to Isom-McDaniel, the animal used its head and horns to flip him in the air.
“I was just trying to get some dramatic footage of that bison having a fit,” MacLeod told the outlet. “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 said that he tried to get the bison’s attention because he was afraid it was “going to gore the guy on the ground.”
That’s when MacLeod stopped videotaping and ran at the bison, yelling loudly and trying to be as big and intimidating as possible, he said.
Once the bison was gone, MacLeod said everyone around rushed toward the victim and called 911.
Global News has reached out to the National Park Service (NPS) for further comment, but has not received a response.
This isn’t the first time a bison has attacked a tourist in Yellowstone National Park this summer.
Last month, a 12-year-old was attacked by a bison while visiting Yellowstone National Park, the NPS officials announced in a news release.
The incident occurred near Mud Volcano, just north of Fishing Bridge.
“The visitor sustained injuries, and emergency medical personnel transported them to a nearby hospital. The incident remains under investigation,” the NPS added.
The NPS noted that wild animals can be aggressive when people do not respect their space.
The NPS mandates that visitors stay at least 23 metres away from large animals such as bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose and coyotes, and at least 91 metres away from bears, wolves and cougars.
If wildlife approaches park visitors, it’s advised to move away to maintain the required distance and to never approach, touch, feed or crowd wildlife.
The NPS said bison have injured more people in Yellowstone National Park than any other animal.
“They are unpredictable, can run three times faster than humans and will defend their space when threatened,” the NPS said of bison.
Park officials around the U.S. share frequent warnings not to get too close to wildlife while visiting national parks ahead of the busy summer season.
In May 2025, a Florida man was injured after he was charged and gored by a bison at Yellowstone National Park.
The 47-year-old, who had approached the bison, escaped with only minor injuries and was treated by emergency medical personnel, according to the NPS.
At least two people were gored by bison in 2024, including an 83-year-old South Carolina woman who was seriously injured.
The woman was near the Storm Point Trail at Yellowstone Lake in June 2024 when the bison lifted her about a foot off the ground with its horns, park officials said, adding that the bison was defending its space.
In April 2024, an Idaho man was arrested on alcohol and wildlife-related charges after he was accused of kicking a bison at Yellowstone National Park, sustaining minor injuries.
The man was arrested by park rangers, who transported him to a nearby medical facility before dropping him at a county detention centre.
Authorities were notified of the incident after a parkgoer reported seeing an individual “who harassed a herd of bison and kicked a bison in the leg” near Yellowstone’s west entrance, park officials wrote in a press release.
Based on reporting by Global News.