Behind the viral video: Photographer describes Yellowstone bison assault

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — A Bozeman photographer who captured a dramatic bison assault in Yellowstone National Park says the animal had been displaying aggressive habits for a number of minutes earlier than it charged a vacationer and launched him into the air.

(WATCH: Photographer describes Yellowstone bison assault)

MTN speaks with photographer of viral bison assault in Yellowstone National Park

Mike MacLeod was photographing a bull bison close to Bridge Bay Campground on Friday night when he seen the animal behaving unusually.

“My wife saw a bull bison come into the campground,” MacLeod mentioned. “It wasn’t an uncommon thing to see anywhere in the park. But there were these young boys standing by a tent and they had their phones out. And for whatever reason, the bison who was still like 50 to 100 feet away just charged them, unprovoked. I didn’t see any provocation.”

MacLeod mentioned the bison then chased a younger couple from their campsite earlier than turning its consideration to a grandfather and his grandson who have been strolling on a campground loop street.

“They were way further away than anyone else. Very respectful distance,” MacLeod mentioned. “They were just enjoying the evening, stopped to take some pictures. And apparently that really agitated that bison, even that far away.”

MacLeod mentioned he initially thought the animal was charging a campground car earlier than realizing it had locked onto the 2 guests.

“As soon as that truck went away, he’s like, ‘Oh no, he’s after those two,'” he mentioned.

Mike MacLeod

Video recorded by MacLeod exhibits the bison chasing the person earlier than tossing him into the air.

After witnessing the assault, MacLeod mentioned he stopped recording and shifted his focus to serving to the injured man.

“From my Army days, I knew as soon as that guy was in the air that the situation had changed,” he mentioned. “So, I stopped videoing and my next priority was to haze that bull off away from the victim because … I was afraid he was going to gore the guy on the ground.”

MacLeod mentioned a number of campers shortly labored collectively to assist.

“I charged the bull and a bunch of men behind me joined me and we all hazed the bison off,” he mentioned. “A lady was on the phone with 911. Another guy was holding his hand the whole time because he was severely injured … Another lady did a blood sweep and checked for immediate emergency injuries. People just came from everywhere to help out the situation.”

Emergency responders arrived inside minutes, he mentioned.

MacLeod mentioned he has remained in touch with the sufferer’s household and was advised the person suffered a damaged leg that required surgical procedure.

“He never lost consciousness that I saw,” MacLeod mentioned. “His main concern, number one, was, ‘Is my grandson safe and OK?'”

Mike MacLeod

The photographer, who has a grasp’s diploma in wildlife biology from the University of Montana and years of expertise photographing wildlife, mentioned the encounter stunned even him.

“I really feel like I would have called this one wrong because I did not expect that to happen,” MacLeod mentioned. “The Park Service is always warning people that all wildlife is dangerous. And they’re right.”

He mentioned the incident is a reminder that even guests who look like performing responsibly can nonetheless encounter unpredictable wildlife.

“We love Yellowstone because it’s a wild place,” MacLeod mentioned. “And that’s part of the real risk that we have of being around those wild animals.”

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MacLeod mentioned he hopes guests do not change into complacent after seeing others get near wildlife with out penalties.

“I think we take comfort watching other people do dumb things,” he mentioned. “So, we no longer think it’s dumb because they’re getting away with it. So it couldn’t be that unsafe. And it is. It is dangerous.”

According to the National Park Service, guests ought to keep at the very least 25 yards away from bison and different giant animals. Bison can run as much as 35 mph and may change into particularly aggressive through the summer time breeding season.

The National Park Service is investigating the incident, which is the second reported bison-related harm in Yellowstone this summer time.