In Yellowstone years ago they told us a family placed their kid on a buffalo, resulting in him being tossed about a hundred feet.
And I believe it because even after hearing that story, I produced a video tape of myself and other idiot tourists inching closer to a moose, including the panicked run when it charged.
I TOTALLY believe you. A few years ago, I was in Rocky Mt. National Park photographing elk. I was in the middle of a large herd. I kept backing up, but they kept coming closer to ME as they grazed. It's not like I just walked right into the middle of a large herd of elk. Anyway, I was very calm (as I always am around critters, having majored in zoology with a specialty in animal behavior--I can "read" an animal from 100 feet away and tell you what's on its mind) and they were very calm. I was only about 15-20 feet away from the huge herd bull. He was totally unperturbed by me taking his picture and I kept slowly backing away as I did so, fully realizing how dangerous a critter he could be. I had been so close that I could hear the mewing sounds the elk calves made which I never knew they did. I was so close I witnessed an elk cow nearly stomp a coyote into pieces when it tried for her baby. Waaaay cool! I finally achieved a safer distance and the elk didn't approach me any more, when I spied some DUMB DUMB Darwin-award contenders walking right up to these animals like they were in a petting zoo. I told them in no uncertain terms, "Get away from those elk. They are wild animals. That bull over there with that armchair-sized rack of antlers could run you through with close to a thousand pounds of himself driving it through you. The rest of the herd could panic and stampede and grind us all to pulp. Idiots!" A minute later, I heard a voice behind me and turned around. It was a park ranger. He thanked me for probably saving some lives and then ordered the yahoos to back far away from where they were.
So yeah, I completely could believe idiot tourists would put a kid on a buffalo's back.
I've witnessed retarded touri's in YNP hanging out with the bears and "Buffalo" at extremely close range near the raods (typically blocking traffic too).
It's amazing that more are not killed/maimed /yr.
It's really unbelievable.