http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2003/07/08/news/local/top/news01.txt
Injured tourist warns: Buffalo are dangerous
By Jim Holland, Journal Staff Writer
RAPID CITY -- Jeff Bunch didn't come to South Dakota intending to become the poster child for buffalo safety.
You could say the title was thrust upon him after he was gored Sunday night by a bison at Custer State Park.
Bunch, 30, of Dallas, Texas, suffered a deep puncture wound to his left buttock after a buffalo charged him as he stood next to his rented minivan.
Now, Bunch is recovering at Rapid City Regional Hospital after surgery to remove a 1-inch long splinter of buffalo horn.
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."
Bunch, 30, and two brothers, David Bunch, 27, and Brian Bunch, 21, and their mother, Deanna Bunch, all of Dallas, Texas, were touring the park about 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
Their rented minivan was one of about four or five vehicles that encountered 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 Bunch, who at the time was seated in the front passenger seat in the van. "We just don't see that kind of thing in Texas."
Bunch said he was standing near the open driver's door of the van, but only about 20 to 25 feet away from the nearest animals — far closer than recommended.
"They looked so peaceful just grazing there," Bunch said.
Without warning, a large buffalo lowered its head and charged.
"He was like a NFL linebacker with a horn," Bunch said. "You can't imagine the terror of having one coming at you."
The buffalo hooked him and tossed him into the side of the minivan.
He tried to get into the van but knew he had been hurt.
"I couldn't put any weight on my leg," he said. "I was afraid he was going to come at me again."
Once Bunch made it inside the van, David Bunch drove to a Custer hospital while Brian Bunch applied pressure to their brother's wound, which was bleeding heavily.
After doctors in Custer determined the severity of his injury, Bunch was taken by ambulance to Rapid City Regional Hospital, where he underwent surgery to remove the horn fragment.
Doctors told Bunch that his wound went clear to the bone.
Bunch praised the medical staff at both the Custer and Rapid City hospitals. "They were just outstanding, even better than I could have imagined," he said.
Although he was in no laughing mood during the ordeal, there was one touch of humor, courtesy of the ambulance crew taking him from Custer to Rapid City.
"They said it was Buffalo 2, Visitors 0," he said.
The remark was in reference to the June 16 goring of an unidentified out-of-state motorcycle rider by a buffalo, also on Wildlife Loop Road.
The rider suffered a gore wound to the inside of his thigh after he and his motorcycle were hooked and tossed by a buffalo.
Calls to Custer State Park officials seeking comment weren't returned by late Monday afternoon, but officials said after the earlier incident that buffalo bulls become especially aggressive when they enter the annual rut about this time of year.
Mature bull buffaloes can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds and can run as fast as a saddle horse for short distances.
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 was still in severe pain Monday but hoped that he and his family might be able to continue their vacation.
The family flew to Colorado on Sunday, where they rented the van and drove to South Dakota, arriving at Custer State Park just two hours before the attack.
"What a welcome to South Dakota," Bunch said.
He is determined to see Mount Rushmore. "That's what I came up here for," he said.
The family also planned to travel to Glacier National Park in Montana before driving to Colorado for their return flight to Texas.
"I'm not sure how far he's going to be able to travel," his mother said of Bunch.
Contact Jim Holland at 394-8415 or at jim.holland@rapidcityjournal.com
Copyright © 2003 The Rapid City Journal
Rapid City, SD
Jeff Bunch of Dallas, Texas, holds a 1-inch splinter of horn that was surgically removed after he was gored Sunday evening by a Custer State Park bison. (Jim Holland, Journal staff)
