A man was seriously injured after a bison bull charged at him and hurled him above its head in Wyoming, leaving him with serious injuries including a broken hip.
A seemingly serene day at Yellowstone National Park turned into a near-death experience when a bison attacked a man in front of hikers. The tourist ran for his life as the bison bull closed in on him.
The incident occurred at Bridge Bay Campground by Yellowstone Lake on Friday, where a professional photographer happened to be camping in the area and captured the incident on film.
The animal, which has lived free-ranging in the park since prehistoric times, was seen frolicking on the dusty ground before its attention turned to a grandfather walking along the nearby road with his grandson.
The bison used its short and sharp horns to toss the grandfather in the air, flipping him around 8 feet in the air before he landed on the ground near the animal.
A photographer who witnessed the incident jumped into action, trying to scare the bull away with the help of others, while others called 911 and supported the victim, who has since been named as Carl McDaniel.
The victim, a community leader from Washington state, was in a lot of pain, particularly in his hips and the leg he landed on.
The bison in question had been roaming freely in the park since prehistoric times and is a member of the Yellowstone bison herd, which is the only group in the US to have done so.
The herd, made up of around 5,300 animals, can be spotted all year round in the Hayden and Lamar valleys grazing near footpaths.
Bison were hunted to the brink of extinction in the 1800s for their fur and meat, and by 1902, there were about two dozen animals left in Yellowstone before Army protection.
A male bull can grow up to 2,000 pounds, and a female cow can weigh up to 1,000 pounds, with some Yellowstone bison living up to 20 years old.
