By Riley Zeleznik
Jackson Hole News&Guide
Via- Wyoming News Exchange

JACKSON — A man was launched several feet in the air by a bison Friday in Yellowstone National Park.

The 65-year-old man was injured by a bison in Bridge Bay Campground near Yellowstone Lake, according to a statement from Yellowstone Public Affairs.

The man identified as Carl Ison McDaniel was visiting the park from Kendall, Washington, with his grandson, according to The Washington Post.

A video taken by Bozeman photographer Mike MacLeod showed the large bull bison rolling in the dirt at the campground before charging a pickup truck and then charging McDaniel and his grandson. The footage keeps rolling until the man is tossed in the air.

“Park emergency medical personnel responded and transported him to a nearby hospital,” the Yellowstone Public Affairs statement said. “There are no further details to share.”

Reached by the Jackson Hole Daily on Monday evening, MacLeod, who captured the now-viral video, recounted the harrowing tale.

Just after 8 p.m., when MacLeod and his wife pulled into the campsite, his wife noticed the large bison entering camp. The bison, originally minding its own business, began to charge a couple of young boys taking videos, MacLeod said. The boys then scattered, but the bison went on a “rampage” through camp. 

“It’s a lone bull, it’s the rut, and he looks like he’s trying to pick a fight with anything,” MacLeod said. 

McDaniel and his grandson took photos “around 100 yards” behind the bison, MacLeod said. In the video, the two appear closer due to the telephoto lens the video was shot on compressing the foreground, MacLeod said. McDaniel and his grandson were just walking back from dinner. 

“I mean we have plenty of people doing dumb things around animals and getting too close, but this was not the case,” MacLeod said. “They were plenty far. They weren’t walking towards the bison.”

The bison stood up, and McDaniel and his grandson decided to move along. A large white truck drove past, seemingly provoking the bison even more.The bison began to charge the truck, and then McDaniel and his grandson. MacLeod said McDaniel later told him he knew he had to ensure his grandson’s safety.

“He immediately told his grandson to go hide in the trees, told him where to hide, and tried to lure the bison away, which is why he’s running around the trees,” MacLeod said. 

The grandson was able to escape, and disappeared from the frame. It appeared the bison had taken his aggression out on a tree, so Carl stopped running so as not to provoke it further, MacLeod said. 

“But unfortunately, it seemed to be in that bison’s mind that he was going to follow through on this attack, so he did,” MacLeod said. 

The bison caught Carl’s right hip with his left horns, said MacLeod. The bison tossed him “at least 8 feet in the air,” he said. It is unclear if the broken leg was from the impact of the bull or from the landing, MacLeod said. But regardless, the landing “could have been a lot worse.”

After McDaniel landed on the ground, MacLeod knew it was time to step in and prevent the bison from “pounding” McDaniel. MacLeod began running straight for the bison and yelled at other campers to do the same. 

MacLeod has a master’s degree in wildlife biology, so he understood how to read the bison’s body language. Luckily the commotion was enough to scare the bison off, and MacLeod and the campers went to assist McDaniel. Since the incident MacLeod has been in contact with McDaniel’s family. 

“He is recovering from surgery yesterday that was apparently successful,” MacLeod said. “He’s starting physical therapy and he’ll probably be in the hospital for a couple days before he’s ready to go home.”

Bison gorings and injuries are not new to Yellowstone. This is the second attack in two weeks, following the goring of a 12-year-old near Mud Volcano last month.

Last year, there were two people injured by bison, according to Yellowstone. One man from Cape Coral, Florida, sustained minor injuries after approaching a bison too closely. Similarly, a 30-year-old man from New Jersey also sustained minor injuries after getting too close to a bison.

“Wildlife is wild and can be unpredictable,” said Taylor Phillips, the owner and founder of Jackson Hole Eco Tours.

At this time of year, bison have entered into their rut, or breeding season, Phillips said. Due to the hormones and other chemicals coursing through their bloodstreams, bison tend to be more aggressive, especially adult dominant males. While the park service requires visitors to maintain 25 yards of space from bison, giving them extra space is best, especially during the rut, Phillips said.

“I believe that if you’re causing an animal to change its behavior, you’re too close,” Phillips said. “The 25 yards is very much a minimum distance.”

Phillips stressed the importance of being good stewards of public lands. Oftentimes if one person is too close to wildlife, others believe it is OK for them to get closer, too.

“If folks are too close, if folks are walking on the boardwalks, gently direct them to exhibit proper behavior,” Phillips said. “Some people may not know, so lead by example.”