A 65-year-old grandfather who was thrown into the air by a bison at Yellowstone National Park on Friday evening has stated that the animal was "quite gentle" and "did not do so" much harm as it could have.
Carl McDaniel of Washington State was walking with his grandson near Bridge Bay Compound around 8:30 p.m. when a bull bison became agitated and charged them. Video footage shows the bison hooking McDaniel with its horn and flinging him several feet into the air. He broke his femur in four places near his hip but underwent surgery the following day and was able to stand by Monday.
"I will be doing physical therapy for the next few days to get to walk, but it was not as catastrophic as it could have been," McDaniel told CNN.
McDaniel, a community activist, noted that the six-foot-tall animal could have killed him. "When I was on the ground, immobile, unable to move, he was right on top of me," he recounted. "He could have stomped on me, he could have gored me, he could have done almost anything to take my life and he did not do so."
It is unclear what initially provoked the bison, but the encounter occurred during the bison mating season, a period when male bison have elevated testosterone levels. The animal had reportedly been seen roaming the campground and charging at other campers shortly before the attack.
Photographer Mike MacLeod, who captured the incident, told The New York Times that the bison appeared agitated and was kicking like a "rodeo horse." McDaniel and his grandson had driven up in a pickup truck and were taking photos of the bison when the animal stood up.
"As soon as they stop taking pictures, the bison stands up and the grandfather's like, 'Let's get out of here. I don't like this,'" MacLeod said. McDaniel stated he decided to lure the bison away from his grandson. "There was little time to decide what to do," he told CNN. "At that point, he was within 100 yards; he could be to us in seconds, so I told my grandson to run in one direction and I went the other to try and draw him away."
While McDaniel's grandson escaped unharmed, McDaniel was attacked. MacLeod observed that the bison remained near McDaniel even after the assault. "He stood right over Carl, and he was really, really angry," MacLeod said. "His head's pumping up and down and he displayed all that aggressive behavior."
MacLeod then intervened, running toward the bison while yelling and jumping to appear larger, which he said distracted the animal. Other onlookers joined in, and the bison eventually ran off.
When MacLeod reached McDaniel, who is known as a community activist in Kendall, Washington, McDaniel's primary concern was his grandson's well-being. "The first thing he asked is 'How is my grandson?'" MacLeod told Fox News. "It really felt like the grandfather kind of saved his grandson. [He'd] taken the brunt of the attack."
While waiting for an ambulance, McDaniel received attention from a nurse and another bystander. "He was in a lot of pain, but was conscious and joking the whole time," MacLeod told Cowboy State Daily. MacLeod recounted joking to McDaniel about his landing after being thrown, to which McDaniel replied, "Well if you just caught me five years ago, I could have done so much better." Despite his pain, McDaniel reportedly remained jovial, though he was also concerned about whether he had done something to provoke the attack.
"It's not his fault," MacLeod insisted. "You can tell from the beginning. That was a really, really angry bison."
Park regulations advise visitors to maintain a distance of at least 75 feet from bison. MacLeod stated that most people observed that day kept a respectful distance and did not provoke the animals.