A bull bison charged at visitors at a campsite in Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park on Friday, hooking and tossing a grandfather 8 feet into the air.
The terrifying encounter was captured by a professional photographer who said the animal appeared “agitated.”
Mike MacLeod told NBC News the 65-year-old man and his grandson were taking photos of the bison from a distance when the animal got up and bolted in their direction. The duo ran and tried hiding behind some trees as the bison chased them around, MacLoed said.
The bison was able to catch up to the grandfather and hooked him with one of its horns before flipping him in the air.
“It was like watching a bulldozer move out at 45 miles an hour,” MacLeod said.
MacLeod said he and several other campers rushed to the man’s aid and hazed off the bull. The man was “conscious” but appeared to be “in a lot of pain,” MacLeod added.
The man suffered several broken bones and is recovering in the hospital.
Yellowstone and the National Parks Service have not responded to NBC News’ requests for comment.
MacLeod told Wyoming’s Cowboy State Daily newspaper that before the attack the bison had charged at a group of kids who were taking pictures on their cellphones “from a good distance away.”
The bison kept running through the campground while campers yelled and screamed to warn each other.
“You can tell he was agitated, pissed off, and charging anything and everything,” MacLoed said.
The attack happened during rutting season, when bull bison are surging with aggression as males compete in a contest for mating with a female.
Yellowstone officials warn on the park’s website that the animals in the park “are wild and dangerous, no matter how docile they may appear to be” and advise visitors to stay at least 25 yards away from bison.
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