See Yellowstone fisherman narrowly avoid approaching bison
A Yellowstone fisherman was alerted just in time as a bison quietly approached him from behind in a tense wildlife encounter.
A man fishing at Yellowstone National Park was saved from a lurking bison after his wife alerted him just in time.
Video footage captured by passerby Kristi Wilt on July 19 shows a man completely oblivious to a grazing bison slowly approaching him while he fished at the national park.
Wilt, who captured the video, told Storyful she was unsure whether to sound her car horn to alert the man as it may “scare the bison into charging him.”
However, a truck behind Wilt’s vehicle “started honking before we did, alerting the fisherman,” she said.
It was later discovered that it was the fisherman’s wife who had honked, according to Wilt.
“We were all so relieved as he walked like a boss, no eye contact, no fast movements, away from the bison,” she said. “My family cheered as we all felt so much relief in the way he handled himself.”
Bison injures 65-year-old at Yellowstone
The July 19 incident comes a little over a week after a bison charged at and tossed a 65-year-old man into the air at Yellowstone National Park, seriously injuring him.
Video captured by fellow visitor Mike MacLeod shows the man watching the bull bison with his grandchild, before the animal got up and chased the pair through a wooded area, eventually catching up to the man and launching him into the air.
Later, on July 17, in a video shared by Bozeman Health, the man – who is identified by his first name, Carl – said from his hospital bed that the attack happened while he and his grandson were going on a walk after eating dinner on July 10.
“We saw the bison, and he was down. He wasn’t showing aggression or anything like that,” Carl recounted. “Until it picked a target, that target happened to be me.”
Carl’s femur was broken in several places after the attack, his physician, Dr. Eric Lowe, said in the video. His family previously told NBC News he underwent surgery for the break.
The grandson was apparently uninjured in the attack. Carl said he told the boy to flee the area after the bison initially became aggressive.
Bisons at Yellowstone
Yellowstone is home to the nation’s largest bison herd on public land. The animals can weigh up to 2,000 pounds and run up to 35 mph, making them faster than most people can outrun. Park officials remind visitors that wildlife can be dangerous regardless of how calm they appear and urge travelers to give all animals plenty of space.
The national park requires a minimum distance of 25 yards for viewing wildlife, including bison, and 100 yards for bears, wolves and cougars. Most bison-related injuries in the park occur when visitors get too close to the animals.
Bison are particularly aggressive during the rut, or mating season, which begins in late July and goes through August, during which bulls display their dominance by bellowing, wallowing, and fighting other bulls, according to NPS.
Contributing: Eve Chen, Melina Khan / USA TODAY
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@usatodayco.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.