I think we all know a certain someone (maybe an elderly man that got tossed up in the air by a bison at Yellowstone) that could have used this informational warning from Yellowstone National Park around this time last week.
In case you missed the video, which has now racked up over 54 million views, a grandfather named Carl Isom-McDaniel and his grandson were in the wrong place at the wrong time last Friday. Isom-McDaniel and his family were visiting the national park from Kendall, Washington, and when the retiree came upon a sizable bison near the Bridge Bay Campground, he decided to get his phone out to take a picture.
We here at Whiskey Riff have covered plenty of “tourist gets too close and pays the price” type of encounters, but this was not that. The mid-60s-year-old man and his grandson were actually following the guidelines set out by the National Park Service, which states that visitors should stay at least 25 yards away from more docile creatures like bison and elk, and 100 yards away from wild animals like bears and wolves.
They were the right amount of distance away, but it appears this rutting bison was going to track them down no matter how far away the grandfather and grandson were standing.
A professional wildlife photographer named Mike MacLeod was there on the scene and captured everything as it unfolded. The photographer was first just videoing the bison, who was very clearly agitated and fired up as it’s in the midst of the annual mating season. Something about the moment got the massive bison revved up and ready to attack, and unfortunately, the grandfather and the grandson were the targets.
It didn’t end well for Carl Isom-McDaniel:
“A tourist was seriously injured Friday evening after being thrown 8 feet into the air by a bull bison in Yellowstone National Park. Professional photographer Mike Macleod filmed the incident and said the bison was ‘angry, agitated and charging anything and everything.’”
He ended up suffering multiple broken bones and had to have surgery. Fortunately, he’s now recovering, and he was even able to crack some jokes about the incident right after it happened.
And correct me if I’m wrong, but the timing of this post from Yellowstone National Park certainly seems like them getting in on the joke. The national park put out a statement just yesterday encouraging tourists to use “extra caution” while walking near bison, who are about to enter into the rutting season”
“Use extra caution this time of year – the bison rut is beginning! You may see mature male bison with their mouths open, tongues out, and upper lips pulled back. This is how bull bison sniff pheromones and determine whether a female is ready to breed. Bulls will also display their dominance by bellowing, wallowing, and engaging in fights with other bulls.
The winners earn the right to mate with receptive females. Bison are wild and unpredictable, no matter how docile they may appear to be. Be sure to always maintain a distance of at least 25 yards (23 meters) from them, and if a bison charges, retreat!”
Carl Isom-McDaniel is sitting somewhere recovering saying, “YOU THINK?” to that message from Yellowstone National Parl.
As for the message itself, if a bison charges, retreat… got it. What about if a bison sticks its horn into your tuchus and sends you flying several feet into the air? Any guidance on that – or how to stick the landing – Yellowstone?
