A 65-year-old Washington man from Whatcom County was thrown into the air by an agitated male bison last Friday at Yellowstone National Park. KIRO 7 spoke with the photographer who captured the incident and learned about what led up to the dramatic footage.
Mike Macleod, a professional photographer, told KIRO 7 he was already at the campsite where the attack was taking place, photographing, when he first noticed the animal acting erratically. Then, he says he switched to video.
According to Macleod, minutes before his video shows the Bison throwing 65-year-old Carl McDaniel into the air, the animal had approached a group of college-aged campers, but they moved away quickly enough to avoid it.
Macleod said that soon after initially spotting McDaniel and his grandson, the bison charged, tossing McDaniel into the air with its horns.
It was then that Macleod decided to take action, he told KIRO 7. He ran towards the bison, hoping he could cause a distraction that would prevent the animal from harming McDaniel any further.
Macleod admitted that at 5 feet 5 inches, he wasn’t exactly going to intimidate a bison.
Marc Heinzman, Conservation Manager at NW Trek and Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, explained that interactions between humans and wildlife can be unpredictable.
“There’s never that firm barrier between you and the animals, and even if you’re doing all the right things, sometimes the animals can make the wrong choices,” Heinzman said.
Heinzman clarified that during breeding season, a male bison’s judgment is impaired by hormones, leading to aggressive behavior. According to the National Park Service, bison mate in the summer months.
Wildlife experts told KIRO that they advise park visitors never to approach or get too close to bison in the wild. NW Trek does have bison in its reserve and allows people to see them while taking a tram ride or observing them from an overlook.