A 2,000-pound bull bison launched a tourist into the air at Wyoming's Yellowstone National Park on Friday, hurling him several feet above the ground in a violent attack witnessed and recorded by a nearby photographer. The man, who was walking with his grandson through the Bridge Bay campground south of Fishing Bridge, sustained serious injuries in the encounter.
Mike MacLeod, a professional photographer from Bozeman, Montana, captured video of the attack and provided detailed accounts of what unfolded. He told Cowboy State Daily that he was camping with his wife when she spotted the bison approaching the area. What followed was a rampage through the campground that left campers yelling warnings to one another.
MacLeod said the animal "started walking through the campground" and charged a group of children who were photographing it from a distance. The bison continued moving through the area, eventually stopping in dust near the road where the grandfather and grandson were located. Both men pulled out their cellphones to photograph the animal from what MacLeod described as a good distance away.
As the bison rose to its feet, the grandfather signaled it was time to leave and moved with his grandson behind some nearby trees. But the animal was not finished. After briefly pursuing a pickup truck that sped away, the bison turned its attention toward the trees where the man and boy had taken shelter.
"The bison hooked him with his left horn on his hip and tossed him in the air," MacLeod recounted. "He made a perfect flip and landed on his side." With the bison standing at least 6 feet tall, the injured man was airborne several feet above the animal during the flip.
Fearing the bison would gore the man while he lay on the ground, MacLeod stopped recording video and ran directly at the animal, yelling and attempting to appear as large and intimidating as possible. Other bystanders did the same, and the bison eventually fled the scene.
According to MacLeod, the injured man's grandson told him his grandfather "has some pretty significant injuries and is not out of the woods yet." The National Park Service has not released detailed information about the man's condition or the full extent of his injuries.
The timing of the attack coincided with bison rutting season, when males compete for mating opportunities by displaying their physical power and stamina. MacLeod observed that the animal's behavior during this period was exceptionally aggressive. "You can tell he was agitated, pissed off and charging anything and everything," he said.
Notably, MacLeod said the grandfather and grandson appeared to be following park safety guidelines. "I didn't see anybody getting close," he noted. "People were yelling, 'Careful, there's a bison coming through,' and they kept their distance. They were very respectful."
Yellowstone warns visitors on its official website that park animals "are wild and dangerous, no matter how docile they may appear to be." The park recommends viewing wildlife from inside a vehicle and maintaining at least 25 yards of distance from bison, elk, and other animals, while keeping 100 yards away from bears, wolves, and cougars. Visitors who fail to maintain safe distances can face legal consequences, as it is illegal to willfully remain near or approach wildlife in ways that disturb or displace them.
This attack marks the second bison incident involving human injury at Yellowstone in 2026. On June 26, a 12-year-old was injured near Mud Volcano, north of Fishing Bridge. The National Park Service said that victim was transported to a nearby hospital and that the incident remained under investigation.
Author James Rodriguez: "A man doing everything right got tossed 8 feet in the air by a 2,000-pound animal in a fit of seasonal rage, and we're reminded once again that Yellowstone is not a petting zoo."
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