A bull bison attacked and seriously injured a man at Yellowstone National Park's Bridge Bay Campground on Friday evening. The incident, captured on video by photographer Mike MacLeod, shows the agitated animal chasing the man and launching him several feet into the air.
The man was reportedly walking with his grandson when the bison, which had already charged a group of children nearby, targeted them from approximately 100 yards away. This distance is well beyond the 25-yard minimum required by the park service for visitors to maintain from bison.
According to MacLeod, the bison appeared agitated even before the man and his grandson approached. After wallowing in a patch of dirt, the bison began to stand as the pair stopped to take photos. When the grandfather recognized the potential danger, they moved to hide behind trees.
The situation escalated when a white pickup truck drove past, which MacLeod said appeared to provoke the bison further. The animal then charged towards the trees where the man and his grandson were concealed. The video footage shows the bison colliding with the trees and briefly becoming distracted by a sapling before refocusing on the man.
The bull bison then charged the man, striking him with its horn and sending him airborne before he landed on his side. MacLeod described the victim being tossed several feet into the air by the approximately 6-foot-tall animal.
After the initial attack, the bison remained near the injured man, shaking its head. MacLeod and other witnesses then approached the animal, yelling and attempting to appear intimidating to draw its attention away. They were successful in scaring the bison off, and Yellowstone EMS arrived to attend to the victim.
The grandson later informed MacLeod that his grandfather sustained significant injuries and was still in critical condition. The National Park Service had not released an official statement or an update on the man's condition as of Sunday morning.
Witnesses reported that park visitors were maintaining distance from the agitated bison and warning others. MacLeod noted that people were respectful of the animal's space and that the bison appeared to be aggressively charging anything it perceived as a threat.
Bull bison can become more aggressive during their annual rut, typically beginning in late July, when they may challenge rivals and exhibit less tolerance for perceived threats. This incident marks the second reported human-bison encounter in Yellowstone in 2026. A 12-year-old visitor was injured near Mud Volcano on June 26.