Just weeks after a bison tossed a grandfather into the air at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, another alarming encounter has been caught on video. This time, a child narrowly escaped when a bison chased after them along a boardwalk on July 28.
The footage, shared by Brittany Peteler with Storyful, shows a woman walking past the bison first, ignoring it as it slowly moves closer to the boardwalk. She makes it safely to the other side. As Peteler breathes a sigh of relief, another group with children begins walking in the same direction, to the disbelief of onlookers.
Despite the imminent danger, the group continues toward the bison. One child eventually breaks into a run and is briefly chased by the animal. Fellow visitors can be heard yelling, “Go back! Do not go towards him! Go away from him!” The child appeared to get to safety.
Such close calls are all too familiar in Yellowstone, where bison have injured more people than any other animal. According to park officials, bison are unpredictable, can run three times faster than humans, and will defend their space when threatened. Visitors are responsible for staying at least 25 yards away from all large animals, including bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose and coyotes.
“The animals in Yellowstone are wild and dangerous, no matter how docile they may appear to be,” the park’s website warns. “The safest (and often best) view of wildlife is from inside a car.”