A nine-year-old girl was thrown into the air by a bison at Yellowstone National Park on Monday.
The unidentified girl, who is said to be from Odessa, Fla., was visiting the park’s famous Old Faithful geyser when the animal charged at her, according to NBC News.
The attack sent the girl flying into the air. The National Park Service later released a statement saying the girl was treated and released from the park’s Old Faithful Clinic, however they did not state the extent of her injuries.
Hailey Dayton, 18, was one of the bystanders who had been filming the bison when the attack began. She ultimately captured the entire incident on video.
“Because [the bison] was agitated by all the people and noise, it just kind of attacked,” Dayton told NBC News on Wednesday. “After that, everyone was screaming. There were a bunch of kids crying.”
Dayton posted her video to Twitter. The post went viral, but she later deleted it after receiving what she called “cruel and inconsiderate comments that this young girl would most likely see.”
A statement from the park said there were between 50 and 60 people gathered near the bison before the attack. Some people were standing less than 10 feet away.
As a result, other bystanders managed to get their own videos of the incident.
The park advises that visitors should stay at least 25 feet away from animals at all times. Yellowstone’s safety guidelines also warn specifically about bison, noting that they are able to run up to three times faster than humans.
At least two people were injured in bison attacks at Yellowstone in 2018. In total, more than 4 million people visited the park last year.
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