Bison Charges and Injures Man at Yellowstone Campground

A bull bison charged and struck an unidentified adult male visitor at Bridge Bay Campground in Yellowstone National Park, tossing him several feet into the air before he landed on his side. The man was walking south of Fishing Bridge with his grandson when the attack occurred. The bison first charged a group of children taking photos from a safe distance, according to accounts of the incident.

A white pickup truck then drove past, prompting the bison to charge the vehicle before it turned toward the man and his grandson. Professional photographer Mike MacLeod recorded the encounter. The bison hooked the man with its left horn on his hip, sending him flipping approximately eight feet into the air.

The man experienced pain in his hips and the leg on which he landed, with no visible external injuries or bleeding observed immediately after the attack. Bystanders including MacLeod ran toward the bison, yelling and attempting to appear large to divert it from the injured man. EMS arrived and took over care of the man, who was hospitalized.

The man's grandson told MacLeod that his grandfather had significant injuries and was not out of the woods yet. The National Park Service had not released an official statement on the man's condition as of Sunday morning. This was the second reported human-bison incident at Yellowstone in 2026.

A 12-year-old visitor was injured June 26 near Mud Volcano, north of Fishing Bridge. The aggression occurred during the annual rutting season, which runs from June to September.