Hailey Dayton/TwitterShocking footage filmed at Yellowstone National Park shows the moment a huge bison charged towards a young girl and sent her flying into the air.
The terrifying incident took place on Sunday (July 22), when the nine-year-old Florida girl was exploring the Old Faithful Geyser area of the park in Wyoming with a group of people.
The group were said to have been standing within 5-10 feet of the bison for at least 20 minutes but the large animal eventually decided it’d had enough.
Take a look at what happened when it charged:
A press release from Yellowstone National Park explains there were around 50 people who had been stood near the bison before ‘eventually causing [it] to charge’, though it’s not clear exactly what spurred the animal on.
The nine-year-old was thrown through the air as the angry animal made contact with her. Shockingly her family are said to have run to save themselves as the girl was attacked by the huge bull.
Her family then took her to Old Faithful Lodge where she was assessed and treated by a park emergency medical providers before being taken to the Old Faithful Clinic.
The press release says she had been injured though the extent of her injuries is not clear. She was later released from the clinic.
PixabayThe video was filmed by 18-year-old Hailey Dayton, who was visiting the park on a family road trip.
Speaking to NBC News, she said:
My brother and I were looking at the hot springs, and we saw a bunch of people running down the path to the bridge. We saw through the trees some people petting the bison, super close.
Hailey went on to explain how she had been filming the bison eating when it suddenly attacked the young girl.
Hailey Dayton/TwitterShe shared the footage on Twitter though later decided to remove it after it received a lot of critical and cruel comments.
She wrote:
Due to the abundance of cruel and inconsiderate comments that this young girl would most likely see, I am deleting the video of the Bison. This was meant to show awareness of what can happen when not properly respecting the life you are around.
Due to the abundance of cruel and inconsiderate comments that this young girl would most likely see, I am deleting the video of the Bison. This was meant to show awareness of what can happen when not properly respecting the life you are around. This behavior is unsat.
— hails (@haileyydayton) July 24, 2019
Yellowstone National Park pointed out the wildlife there is exactly that – wild.
They advise:
When an animal is near a trail, boardwalk, parking lot, or in a developed area, give it space. Stay 25 yards (23 m) away from all large animals – bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose, and coyotes and at least 100 yards (91 m) away from bears and wolves.
If need be, turn around and go the other way to avoid interacting with a wild animal in close proximity.
PixabayAccording to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, a mature bison bull stands about 2 metres (6.5 feet) at the shoulder and weighs more than 900 kg (1,980lbs). The female is about 1.5 metres (5 feet) tall and weighs about 320 kg (700lbs). They are described as agile, fast and unpredictable.
They’re definitely animals better left alone!
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.