A Yellowstone National Park bull bison that severely injured a tourist will not be euthanized, according to park officials.
The decision means no management action will be taken against the animal following the incident on Friday night that sent 65-year-old Carl Isom-McDaniel airborne.
Isom-McDaniel was visiting the Bridge Bay Campground near Yellowstone Lake in Wyoming with his 13-year-old grandson when the bison charged. A photographer captured the moment the bull bison tossed Isom-McDaniel approximately eight feet into the air. The retiree sustained a broken femur in four places near his hip and underwent surgery on Sunday.
Following the surgery, Isom-McDaniel posted on Facebook, stating, "Thank you everyone I am OK." He also expressed gratitude that the bison, which can weigh up to 2,200 pounds and stand six feet tall, did not cause more severe harm. He recounted being on the ground and immobile with the bison over him, noting, "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."
Photographer Mike MacLeod, who documented the attack, told Cowboy State Daily that Isom-McDaniel was in good spirits after the incident, despite being in pain. MacLeod added that Isom-McDaniel was concerned about whether he had provoked the animal, but MacLeod assured him that was not the case, stating, "It’s not his fault. You can tell from the very beginning. That was a really, really angry bison."
According to MacLeod, neither Isom-McDaniel nor his grandson did anything to provoke the bison, suggesting they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.