Yellowstone Visitors Witness Child’s Frightening Bison Encounter

People and wild animals are increasingly coming into contact as we encroach into more and more of their land. Unfortunately, this has led to an increase in deaths and injuries.

One such incident is going viral online after a video posted online showed a bison chasing after a young child at Yellowstone National Park.

In the video posted online, captured by Brittany Peteler, visitors at Yellowstone National Park can be seen walking very closely to a bison. In the footage, a woman can be seen walking past the bison before another group, including several children, attempts to do the same.

As the group get closer, one of the children begins to run, prompting the bison to give chase for several before giving up.

"Bison have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal," officials said in regard to the footage. "They are unpredictable, can run three times faster than humans, and will defend their space when threatened. Wild animals can be aggressive when people do not respect their space. Visitors are responsible for staying at least 25 yards away from all large animals, including bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose and coyotes."

In July 2026, a 65-year-old grandfather sustained injuries after being rammed and knocked into the air by a bison at Yellowstone. In a video of the incident, Carl Isom-McDaniel and his grandson can be seen taking photos of the bison a good distance away from the animal before the animal suddenly charged the pair.

"The bison hooked him with his left horn on his hip and tossed him in the air," witness Mike Macleod told the Cowboy State Daily, a local paper. "He made a perfect flip and landed on his side."

Macleod added: "He was in a lot of pain with his leg, and otherwise he was conscious the whole time, in good spirits, joking."

At the time, Jennifer Barfield, the scientific lead at Colorado's Laramie Foothills Bison Conservation Herd, told the BBC that July is peak breeding season for bison. For young bulls, that means they become incredibly territorial.

"That's really going to drive their behaviour, and they're going to be potentially more unpredictable than at other times of the year," Barfield said. The professor went on to recommend that anyone on foot stay at least 25 yards away from bison.