Posted on 07/08/2003 11:27:13 AM PDT by MeekOneGOP
Dallas man gored by buffalo07/08/2003
RAPID CITY, S.D. - A Dallas man was hospitalized after being gored by a buffalo that charged him as he stood near the open driver's door of a minivan in Custer State Park.
Jeff Bunch, 30, of Dallas, suffered a deep puncture wound to his left buttock on Sunday evening and is recovering from surgery to remove a 1-inch long splinter of buffalo horn.
Bunch, 30, and two brothers, David, 27, and Brian, 21, and their mother, Deanna, all of Dallas, were touring the Black Hills park about 6:30 p.m. Their rented minivan was one of about four or five vehicles that came across a large herd of buffalo along a graveled road near the park's popular Wildlife Loop Road.
"It was an awesome sight, observing them grazing," said Deanna, who watched from the van's front passenger seat. "We just don't see that kind of thing in Texas."
Jeff said he was standing near the open driver's door of the van, about 20-25 feet from the nearest animals, far closer than recommended.
"They looked so peaceful just grazing there," said Bunch.
Then without warning, a large buffalo lowered its head and charged, tossing Bunch into the side of the van.
"He was like an NFL linebacker with a horn," Bunch said. "You can't imagine the terror of having one coming at you."
Fearing the buffalo would come after him again, Bunch said he struggled to get inside the van. "I couldn't put any weight on my leg," he said.
Once inside, David drove to the Custer hospital, while Brian applied pressure to Jeff's wound, which was bleeding heavily. He was later taken to Rapid City Regional Hospital where he had surgery to remove the horn fragment.
The buffalo attack was the second this year in the park. On June 16, an unidentified out-of-state motorcycle rider on the Wildlife Loop Road suffered a gore wound to the inside of his thigh after he and his motorcycle were hooked and tossed by a buffalo.
Bunch said he wants to warn other visitors to heed park signs and literature warning of the dangers of the wild animals.
"I just want to get the word out to people who may not be from South Dakota about how dangerous buffalo are," Bunch said Monday from his hospital room. "I wouldn't wish this on anybody. "You have to pay attention to the signs," he said. "Stay in your car and use some binoculars."
Visitors are strongly urged to view or photograph buffalo from inside their cars. If they choose to get out of their cars, a distance of at least 50 yards away from the buffalo is recommended.
Bunch hopes he and his family will be able to continue their vacation. The family flew to Colorado Sunday, where they rented the van and drove to South Dakota, arriving at Custer State Park just two hours before the attack.
He is determined to see Mount Rushmore. "That's what I came up here for," he said.
Online at: http://www.dallasnews.com/latestnews/stories/070803dnnatbuffalo.6b20c98d.html
BUFFALO BILLS 2004 SUPERBOWL CHAMPIONS!!!
The Yellowstone locals have a name for these people. Tourist+Moron=Touron.
"Hey, Mabel, lookit the cute fuzzy bearcub! Whydoncha go pick it up so's I can git yore picture!"
The Bunch Bunch?
Last summer when my liberal moron sister in-law (brothers wife) went to Custer State Park she tried to approach a buffalo. Her excuse for her idiotic behavior? "They are used to people!!" My brother had a head injury as a child. I think it effected him more then we realized.
Ya know, I grew up with a healthy respect for wild animals. They aren't pets, they'll never be tame and they can sure as heck kill you--I keep a good distance from them. That's what shocked the living daylights out of me when we went to Yellowstone and saw these fools creeping up and posing with buffalo. They seemed like the same people who think chocolate milk comes from brown cows (if they've heard of cows at all).
On one trip I was fishing on the Yellowstone River down through Buffalo Ford (aptly named, I saw four cross the river there, huffing and puffing after they reached the other side). As I was working downriver, I came to a point where I couldn't go any further since there were Bison lying everywhere right down to the river.
I decided the prudent thing would be to head over toward the road to go around the herd. While I was walking down the road the herd decided to move and all of a sudden they were coming across the road all around me. I stayed flat against a tree while about 100 bulls, cows and calves moved past. I felt fortunate that they were more intent on crossing the road than bothering me, as I only had a long, thin piece of graphite for defense.
The other dangerous animal in the park is moose. However since my wife is a fan of them, I am required to get as close as possible with a camcorder.
Smart move. Don't get in their way--and plaster yourself up against a tree and don't move. Or breathe.
The other dangerous animal in the park is moose. However since my wife is a fan of them, I am required to get as close as possible with a camcorder.
My hubby thought about doing that with a moose calf. I pointed out that mom was nearby (I thoughtfully pointed to her, noting he'd be between mom and baby) and to get the hell outta there. AND this is a guy who grew up on a dairy farm, and, at least in his early years, during the time they had real bulls and not (cough cough ahem) bull cans.
Not only is it safer, the photographer will get much better pictures if he stays in a vehicle and uses it as a blind. Most animals just don't have the same reaction to a car that they do a person standing outside a car.
Tough living out here in South Dakota... between the killer buffalos and members of Congress blowing stop signs at 70 mph it just isn't safe.
I saw my first real live bison at the Columbus ( OH) zoo last year.
I didn't realize how big they are. One must have been 6' at the shoulder.
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