YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — A Bozeman photographer who captured a dramatic bison attack in Yellowstone National Park says the animal had been displaying aggressive behavior for several minutes before it charged a tourist and launched him into the air.
(WATCH: Photographer describes Yellowstone bison attack)
Mike MacLeod was photographing a bull bison near Bridge Bay Campground on Friday evening when he noticed the animal behaving unusually.
"My wife saw a bull bison come into the campground," MacLeod said. "It wasn't an uncommon thing to see anywhere in the park. But there were these young boys standing by a tent and they had their phones out. And for whatever reason, the bison who was still like 50 to 100 feet away just charged them, unprovoked. I didn't see any provocation."
MacLeod said the bison then chased a young couple from their campsite before turning its attention to a grandfather and his grandson who were walking on a campground loop road.
"They were way further away than anyone else. Very respectful distance," MacLeod said. "They were just enjoying the evening, stopped to take some pictures. And apparently that really agitated that bison, even that far away."
MacLeod said he initially thought the animal was charging a campground vehicle before realizing it had locked onto the two visitors.
"As soon as that truck went away, he's like, 'Oh no, he's after those two,'" he said.
Video recorded by MacLeod shows the bison chasing the man before tossing him into the air.
After witnessing the attack, MacLeod said he stopped recording and shifted his focus to helping the injured man.
"From my Army days, I knew as soon as that guy was in the air that the situation had changed," he said. "So, I stopped videoing and my next priority was to haze that bull off away from the victim because ... I was afraid he was going to gore the guy on the ground."
MacLeod said several campers quickly worked together to help.
"I charged the bull and a bunch of men behind me joined me and we all hazed the bison off," he said. "A lady was on the phone with 911. Another guy was holding his hand the whole time because he was severely injured ... Another lady did a blood sweep and checked for immediate emergency injuries. People just came from everywhere to help out the situation."
Emergency responders arrived within minutes, he said.
MacLeod said he has remained in contact with the victim's family and was told the man suffered a broken leg that required surgery.
"He never lost consciousness that I saw," MacLeod said. "His main concern, number one, was, 'Is my grandson safe and OK?'"
The photographer, who has a master's degree in wildlife biology from the University of Montana and years of experience photographing wildlife, said the encounter surprised even him.
"I really feel like I would have called this one wrong because I did not expect that to happen," MacLeod said. "The Park Service is always warning people that all wildlife is dangerous. And they're right."
He said the incident is a reminder that even visitors who appear to be acting responsibly can still encounter unpredictable wildlife.
"We love Yellowstone because it's a wild place," MacLeod said. "And that's part of the real risk that we have of being around those wild animals."
MacLeod said he hopes visitors don't become complacent after seeing others get close to wildlife without consequences.
"I think we take comfort watching other people do dumb things," he said. "So, we no longer think it's dumb because they're getting away with it. So it couldn't be that unsafe. And it is. It is dangerous."
According to the National Park Service, visitors should stay at least 25 yards away from bison and other large animals. Bison can run up to 35 mph and can become especially aggressive during the summer breeding season.
The National Park Service is investigating the incident, which is the second reported bison-related injury in Yellowstone this summer.
