The tourist was walking with his grandson through the Bridge Bay Campground, south of Fishing Bridge, when the bison attacked. The National Park Service (NPS), which manages Yellowstone, has not released further details about the incident.
However, Mike MacLeod, a professional photographer from nearby Bozeman, Montana, provided a vivid account of the attack to Wyoming’s Cowboy State Daily newspaper and shared video footage of the incident with the outlet.
MacLeod said he was camping with his wife when she noticed the bison approaching the area.
“I was just trying to get some dramatic footage of that bison having a fit,” MacLeod said. “It’s changed my idea of what to expect from these guys at this time of year, because I would not have predicted that happening.”
According to MacLeod, the bison began moving through the campground and approached a group of children who were taking photographs with their mobile phones from a safe distance.
“He was coming up to this group of kids, who were taking pictures on their cellphones from a good distance away, and then the buffalo charged these kids,” he said.
The bison continued running through the campground as campers shouted warnings to one another.
The grandfather and his grandson later appeared on a road near where the animal had been sitting in the dust.
“He was sitting in the dust, like bison do, with his head out towards the road,” MacLeod said.
Video recorded by MacLeod shows the pair taking out their phones and pointing them towards the bison while standing several dozen yards away. However, the animal soon began to rise.
At that point, MacLeod said the grandfather realised it was time to leave.
“The grandfather’s like, ‘OK, time to leave,’ and they moved off behind these trees,” he told Cowboy State Daily.
The bison was then distracted by a pickup truck and charged towards it, causing the driver to speed away.
“The guy in the truck saw that happening, and he just kept going,” MacLeod said. He added that the bison then turned its attention back towards where the man and his grandson were hiding behind the trees.
The grandson managed to escape, but the bison chased the grandfather around the trees and attacked him, MacLeod said.
“The bison hooked him with his left horn on his hip and tossed him in the air,” he told the outlet. “He made a perfect flip and landed on his side.
“The bison was at least 6ft tall, and the victim was several feet above him.”
MacLeod said he stopped recording when he feared the bison might continue attacking the injured man.
“I was really afraid he was going to gore the guy on the ground, so I stopped videotaping and ran at the bison, yelled loud, and was trying to be as big and intimidating as possible,” he said.
Other bystanders also attempted to scare the animal away, and the bison eventually fled.
MacLeod said the injured man’s grandson later told him that his grandfather had suffered significant injuries and was still in a serious condition.
Yellowstone officials warn on the park’s website that the animals living in the area “are wild and dangerous, no matter how docile they may appear to be”. Visitors are advised that the safest way to view wildlife is from inside a vehicle.
The park recommends that visitors stay at least 100 yards (90 metres) away from bears, wolves and cougars, and at least 25 yards away from all other animals, including bison and elk.
“If an animal moves closer to you, back away to maintain a safe distance,” the park’s website states. “It’s illegal to willfully remain near or approach wildlife, including birds, within any distance that disturbs or displaces the animal.”
MacLeod said the injured man appeared to have followed the park’s safety guidance before the attack.
“I didn’t see anybody getting close,” he said. “People were yelling, ‘Careful, there’s a bison coming through,’ and they kept their distance. They were very respectful.”
The attack occurred during bison rutting season — the annual mating period when male bison compete for dominance and attempt to attract females.
“You can tell he was agitated, pissed off and charging anything and everything,” MacLeod said.
Cowboy State Daily reported that the incident was Yellowstone’s second bison-related human injury in 2026. The first occurred on June 26, when a 12-year-old visitor was injured near Mud Volcano, north of Fishing Bridge.
“The visitor sustained injuries, and emergency medical personnel transported them to a nearby hospital,” the NPS said in a statement. “The incident remains under investigation.”
