Yellowstone bison attacks old man in campground

[Glenn MacGrady]

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

or

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

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 bei…

nypost.com

I've camped and canoed in Yellowstone, as many others have, and I certainly didn't expect aggressive bison to be roaming around my campsite. Maybe the population of bison in the constrained area of Yellowstone has become too concentrated. There seem to be environmental benefits and deficits to the bison presence there, but they are hunted or captured and slaughtered once they try to migrate out of the park. What and why?

 

[ScottS]

ALL bison are potentially aggressive, at any moment, and without any warning. The NPS has pamphlets and warning signs all over at Yellowstone and people still walk up to the fuzzy cows. The NPS says to stay back 25 yards, but when I've been there, I get wary at a hundred and won't go anywhere near 25 yards, no way, no how - that's less than 2 seconds at bison speed. But man, that was a great rodeo clown flip!
It might be more accurate to say that the people concentration at Yellowstone is much too high.

 

[ppine]

I first went to Ystone in 1955. I have walked up on lone bull bison several times laying around cud chewing. ScottS is right. Give them room. Avoid eye contact. Keep some trees between yourself and bison. Do not become a threat.

Campgrounds are built in wildlife habitat. Act accordingly.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

Yellowstone has become too concentrated. There seem to be environmental benefits and deficits to the bison presence there, but they are hunted or captured and slaughtered once they try to migrate out of the park. What and why?

I recall reading years ago that there has been a problem with the bison transmitting brucellosis to cattle outside of the park.

It's amazing how close some people deliberately he to those beasts. That's a big nope in my book.

 

[Erica]

Does running attract the attention of a bison to run after you like it would a predator? I kept thinking the man would have done better to hide behind a tree or a car. Not that the trees were big enough but being still behind a tree would not provide a target as much as running.