Bison drags woman in circles across road, rips off her pants after she got too close to calf in viral video
A raging bison was caught on video throwing a woman around like a ragdoll after she reportedly got too close to a calf at a South Dakota state park. According to multiple reports, thousands have traveled to the state to attend an annual motorcycle rally.
Witness Jo Reed captured the footage of the attack on Wednesday. The graphic video showed the bison grab hold of the woman and drag her across the road into the grass, Fox News reported.
Bikers looked on in horror as the animal continued to violently spin and thrash the woman. The beast eventually ripped off her pants and ran off as onlookers said the woman lay on the ground, unconscious.
The Custer County Chronicle reported how an estimated 500 bison were blocking the roadway within Custer State Park as they carried on with their annual migration. At some point, a motorcyclist -- identified as a 54-year-old woman from Iowa -- "got too close" to the herd. According to Fox News, thousands of tourists are attending the 80th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, a 10-day event in Sturgis.
Reed shared on Facebook how herds of bison “were everywhere we went” and appeared “frisky” and “punchy with each other.”
“We came around a curve just behind a group of motorcyclists and there was a herd standing in the middle of the road, most noticeably a cow (female) and her calf which was nursing,” Reed wrote. “Initially one woman got off her bike and approached the herd and then more followed. It was a tense moment.”
The victim, who was flown to an area hospital, suffered injuries that were deemed not to be serious.
"PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE FEEL FREE TO share this, so people understand they’re about to die when they confront an animal this powerful. Thankfully the ranger did not need to tranquilize the bison," Reed added.
Custer County Sheriff Marty Mechaley warned prospective visitors to keep their distance from bison. "We would like to remind everyone to not pet the fluffy cows - also known as Bison/Buffalo. We have had calls about the fluffy cows blocking the road occasionally - some people are also getting too close," he said. "Remember this is their park and we are the guests….please give them a break and keep your distance."
That said, the Custer State Park incident comes just months after two separate bison attacks at Yellowstone National Park. A 72-year-old woman was reportedly gored while trying to take photos of a bison in June. According to a statement by park service at the time, she "approached within 10 feet of a bison multiple times" and the animal likely felt threatened.
The unidentified woman "sustained multiple goring wounds" and had to be hospitalized. In May, another woman was knocked out and injured by a bison after getting to close to it.
"Bison are wild animals that respond to threats by displaying aggressive behaviors like pawing the ground, snorting, bobbing their head, bellowing and raising their tail," Yellowstone Senior Bison Biologist Chris Geremia said in a statement at the time. "If that doesn’t make the threat (in this instance it was a person) move away, a threatened bison may charge."