A sudden, unprovoked animal encounter unfolded at Yellowstone's Bridge Bay Campground when a mature bull bison charged a visitor, launching him roughly eight feet into the air. Photographer Mike MacLeod captured the terrifying incident on video, noting that the animal had been aggressively charging everything in sight for several minutes before hooking the man's hip with its left horn and flipping him completely upside down.
What sets this particular incident apart from typical park horror stories is that the victim was not behaving recklessly. He and his grandson were walking more than 100 yards away from the herd—well beyond the National Park Service's mandatory 25-yard minimum safety zone—and multiple witnesses confirmed that absolutely no one had provoked the animal.
Park officials point out that the bison was simply exhibiting heightened territorial aggression typical of the summer rutting, or mating season. Fortunately, the grandson escaped entirely unharmed, and nearby campers quickly rushed in to scare the massive animal away before emergency medical services arrived, proving that wildlife can appear entirely placid right up until the exact second they decide to charge.