HE NEVER SAW IT COMING. What began as a family visit to Yellowstone National Park turned terrifying when a bison suddenly charged, sending a grandfather soaring several feet into the air. The shocking incident has left many visitors stunned and reignited conversations about staying a safe distance from wildlife.

THIS is the terrifying moment a raging bison suddenly charges at a grandfather and tosses him 8ft into the air.

Footage shows the huge beast grazing by a picnic table in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.

An elderly man and his grandson can be seen walking around 300ft from the animal.

They pause to take pictures of the bison as it rolls in the dust.

Then it gets up and the tourists move further away from it.

After a truck drives past, the beast becomes agitated and suddenly charges towards the trees where the granddad was hiding.

It stampedes through the forest and the man flees in terror.

As the animal seems to take out its anger on a sapling, it looks like the man might have got away.

But the bison sets after him again, this time catching up to the visitor.

The beast catches the man and throws him into the air with a colossal headbutt.

He is flipped through the air and lands hard on the ground nearby.

He was left with serious injuries after the incident and rushed to hospital.

The attack was caught on camera by a photographer who was out taking pictures of the animals.

Mike MacLeod told Cowboy State Daily: “I was just trying to get some dramatic footage of that bison having a fit.

“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.”

 

He said the bison first charged a group of children, who safely scattered, before turning his attention to the granddad.

Mike used to be an army combat photographer, and said he could “see this thing coming”.

The victim and his grandson had been at a safe distance from the beast before he charged, Mike said.

He said the huge animal caught his victim by hooking him “with his left horn on his hip” before tossing him in the air.

Mike explained: “He made a perfect flip and landed on his side. The bison was at least 6 feet tall, and (the victim) was several feet above him.”

Terrified the beast was going to attack the grandad on the ground, Mike stopped filming and ran at the bison, yelling as loud as he could.

Several other bystanders joined him and the animal was sent running.

After the bison was chased off, witnesses rushed to help his victim, with Yellowstone emergency services rushing to the scene.

His grandson was told his granddad “has some pretty significant injuries and is not out of the woods yet”, Mike said.

It comes after a 12-year-old was injured by a bison in an incident near Mud Volcano, north of Fishing Bridge.

The National Parks Service has not released any information about the incident.

The Sun contacted Yellowstone National Park for comment.