Massive bull bison tosses Yellowstone tourist into the air like a ragdoll in shocking attack

NY Post ^ | 7/12/26 | Anthony Blair

[Libloather]

A massive bull bison tossed a tourist into the air, seriously injuring him, in a heart-pounding caught-on-camera attack at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.

Video shows the unidentified man being thrown 8 feet in the air like a ragdoll by the wild bison at the Bridge Bay Campground Friday, Cowboy State Daily reported.

The tourist was walking with his grandson when the powerful herbivore attacked.

Video shows the man running around a copse of pines to try to escape the bull, which was giving itself a dust bath moments earlier.

The bison suddenly charged the two tourists, and then viciously head-butted the older bearded man — catapulting him into the air.

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TOPICS: Outdoors; Pets/Animals; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: attack; awesomebeardgramps; bison; justpassinthru; powerfulherbivore; rosieodonnell; tourist; yellowstone

[FlingWingFlyer]

The signs say stay 2 bus lengths away from Bison and Elk. But okay, he’s not and idiot. The buffalo just made him look like one. Yee Haw! I’m all for rodeo clowns.

[BHI2025]

Search it on YouTube… comes up instantly

[PghBaldy]

Not a great video, but no ads https://youtu.be/Dx3Lem9Sww0?si=rrwypZx6xuyG3NGG

[drwoof]

Yep. Even at a ‘safe’ distance. Could be this bull had had more than his fill of humans intruding on his space, and concluded this poor guy was about to do the same, so opted for the ‘A Good Offense is the Best Defense’ approach.

[NFHale]

Re “… tossed a tourist into the air…”

Yeah… they’ll do that…

Awesome critters, though…

[PghBaldy]

Here’s a good link from another source https://youtu.be/aIiMSCBHThA?si=uZdNssxOSJuJRFwp

https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/07/11/tourist-seriously-injured-after-yellowstone-bison-launches-man-8-feet-in-the-air/

[Beowulf9]

Who knew Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs were psychics! That must’ve been Matty and Hattie!

Uno, dos...
¡One, two, tres, cuatro!
Ay! Wooly Bully!
Watch it now, watch it... here it come, here it come!
Watch it now, he git ya

Mattie told Hattie
About a thing she saw
Had two big horns
And a wooly jaw

Wooly Bully!
Wooly Bully
Wooly Bully, Wooly Bully, Wooly Bully

Hattie told Mattie,
“Let’s don’t take no chance
Let’s not be L-7
Come and learn to dance”

Wooly Bully, Wooly Bully
Wooly Bully, Wooly Bully, Wooly Bully
(Watch it now, watch it, watch it, watch!)

Ahhhh! Hey!
Hey! Drive, drive, drive!

Mattie told Hattie
“It’s the thing to do
Get you someone really
Pull the wool with you”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiKjttVlgvE

[lastchance]

Rodeo CLowns save lives! I’m with you for cheering them!

[4Runner]

Those two aimed their cameras at the bison and snapped pics. The bison has probably been aimed at many times before and doesn’t know the diff between a Hasselblad and a Smith & Wesson. Plus the camera probably made a sharp clicking sound as most on cellphones do. That was all the bison needed to hear. So he charged the guy with the biggest weapon. This had nothing to do with rutting season. Don’t ever try to shoot pics of a wild animal in close proximity. Just don’t.

[Tommy Revolts]

When the bison was gone, MacLeod and others rushed to help the victim sat back down
at the picnic table to finish making breakfast.

[whitney69]

“So just how was he an idiot?”

Each animal is a mystery in itself when you work with a wild animal that has its own idea of what is required, has a history of wishing to be left alone, and outweighs a small car while it can outrun a man.

And their only real predator is man. Calves and sick can be taken by wolves, bears, or mountain lions. Bison may be very near sighted. But their other senses are trained to make up for it. And if a predator wishes to try, it can be a crap shoot as bison are fiercely protective of their young and the herd itself.

So what is a safe distance? The one the bison says it is. Either that or Nebraska.

wy69

[Redleg Duke]

Darwin…long dead, but still hard at work!

[BlackbirdSST]

An unprovoked attack. Like switching the flip, from cool calm and collected to raging psychopath. This is why you carry a 45-70 to wander around in the wilderness./mild sarcasm

Seriously though, that one needs to be wrapped like so much hamburger and given mostly to the old man.

[American Infidel]

Usually it is the tourists getting way too close to the animals that results in these types of attacks, but in this case, it appears that the tourist who was attacked was a pretty good distance away, giving the bison a lot of space. Unfortunately for the victim, the bison covered that distance pretty quickly and the older guy just wasn't able to outmaneuver or outrun the beast.

Looking at the video, I thought that by staying within the tree cover, there would be enough room for the bison to maneuver between the trees to get to the man, but that obviously wasn't the case. That fall looked pretty bad, especially for an older man. Hope he recovers.

[KingLudd]

I’m heartened to see “copse” used properly in a sentence.

[FLT-bird]

Damn. That guy didn’t even look like he got all that close or did anything stupid. He even stayed in the trees and was trying to use them to dodge the thing but it was determined to get him.

[American Infidel]

Correction: "would" should be "wouldn't"

"there would be enough room for the bison to maneuver..."

[artichokegrower]

Sometimes you get the bull sometimes you get the horn

[GingisK]

Don’t ever try to shoot pics of a wild animal in close proximity. Just don’t.

[MikelTackNailer]

I'm all for rodeo clowns!

Yep, that dude should have left it to the professionals.

(Look out, Barry - it's a rampaging Moo-chelle!)