A Texas hiker has shared footage showing events leading to her being attacked by a bison – admittedly because she had wandered too close to the animal.
Rebecca Clark, who was hospitalized after the incident, uploaded her footage to TikTok six days ago. She had been hiking alone at Caprice Canyons State Park & Railway when she approached a small bison herd and hoped to pass safely at a close distance.
As Clark spoke to the bison in a friendly tone, one turned and charged.
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“I was charged and gored by a bison because I was too CLOSE to be passing them on a trailway,” Clark recalled. “They are beautiful creatures protected by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and are a part of the Texas State Bison Restoration Project where the park has restored the historic Charles Goodnight Bison herd to a portion of its former range in the park.”
(Click here to view the footage if it does not appear below. Note, the footage contains salty language.)
@rebeccaclark Solo hiking at Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailway in Texas. I was charged and gored by a bison because I was to CLOSE to be passing them on a trailway They are beautiful creatures protected by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) and are a part of the Texas State Bison Restoration Project where the park has restored the historic Charles Goodnight Bison herd (The Official Texas State Bison Herd) to a portion of its former range in the park. I am posting to support safety while enjoying Texas State Parks #TPWD #bisonetiquette101 #hikingsafety #llbean #chaos #rei
The footage shows the aggravated bison beginning its charge and, while the footage does not show the bison making contact with Clark, viewers can hear the fear in Clark’s voice as contact was initiated by the animal.
In a follow-up video, Clark explained that she was recovering after being rammed in the back and flung into a mesquite bush.
“I am posting to support safety while enjoying Texas State Parks,” clark stated in the first video.
While bison might appear docile, they’re unpredictable and incredibly powerful. Male bison can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds.
Several ramming incidents were reported earlier this year in Yellowstone National Park, where more than 5,000 bison roam inside park boundaries.
At Caprice Canyons State Park & Trailway, visitors are cautioned to maintain a distance of 50 yards from bison. The park cautions that bison will raise their tails and sometimes paw the ground when they become agitated.
These are obvious signs that it’s time to slowly back away.