A man survived a bison attack over the weekend in Antelope Island State Park in Utah.
The man was rammed into a fence after provoking the bison by rattling the fence to try to get the animal's attention while taking pictures. It seems he succeeded.
"This person is very, very, very lucky that he wasn't killed," assistant park manager John Sullivan told KSL.com.
Witnesses said he may have thrown rocks at the bison as well.
The man was visiting the park on March 23, when the 1,500-pound animal charged .
According to Sullivan, the man appeared unharmed and "other than being a little dusty...embarrassed and shell-shocked," he was "none the worse for wear."
"[The bison] just was not comfortable with how close he was hanging out with him," said Wayne Ebenroth, a witness from Idaho, who was vacationing with his family. "He had to have done something to catch the [bison's] attention, because that's when he turned around and decided to pay him a visit."
The man remains unnamed because park rangers felt it would be "adding insult to injury," to further embarrass him. The man claims he did not antagonize the bison, but only raised an arm.
Bison are usually considered nonaggressive and slow, but according to experts, they are unpredictable and dangerous when provoked.
This man was not the first to be attacked by a bison in recent times. A report on Today.com states that a group of tourists were charged by a bison after approaching it last September.
After that incident, the West Yellowstone Chamber posted a comment on their Facebook page, saying, "This group has no idea how incredibly lucky they were that no one was injured or killed."
The group also discusses the treatment of the bison in the statement, referring to a video in the incident included on the page, saying, "This video is one that makes us angry, especially at the irresponsible person behind the camera urging the children to 'go ahead and touch him.'"
After the latest incident, park spokesman Al Nash told KPAX that people should stay at least 25 yards away from bison or elk.
"This is a wild place, and these are wild animals," he said. "They are bigger than you, and the only person who can look out for your safety is you."
The Defenders of Wildlife include information on bison on their website, detailing that bison are an endangered species and can reach speeds of up to 35 mph.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
