It was a fortunate near-miss for two tourists who took a far too cavalier approach to two bison at Yellowstone National Park. Cowboy State Daily reported on the viral moment and explained the incident's context.
Wildlife photographer and Yellowstone resident Julie Argyle initially captured the footage, which attracted nearly eight million views. Argyle told Cowboy State Daily that the two tourists ignored multiple warnings from fellow visitors.
"A number of people told them that wasn't a good place to be," Argyle said. "They heard us and acknowledged that they weren't listening to us."
Argyle and others who were at the park watching wolves first observed the bison "roughhousing." Wisely, they crossed the road and kept their distance, advising others to do the same.
As the video shows, the tourists ignored their directive and even turned their backs on the bison. That included one that was around 30 feet away. Despite multiple visitors' warnings, when the bison turned to approach, there was little reaction from the tourists.
The animal took a run at that tourist and was a whisker away from a very painful goring and lesson. Even after the close confrontation, the tourists seemed somewhat nonplussed, much to the frustration of onlookers.
"Slide down the damn hill," one implored.
Though nobody was hurt, this incident raised concerns about visitor interactions with wildlife. Earlier in 2025, a 47-year-old man and a 30-year-old man were injured in separate bison incidents.
Such interactions pose risks not only to people but also to wildlife, as animals involved in human interactions may face euthanasia.
To avoid confrontations, Yellowstone advises staying at least 75 feet from bison to prevent incidents from escalating. While bison can look like docile animals, they remain wild and subject to unpredictable behavior. Many other visitors have found out the hard way that they're not to be taken lightly.
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Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Definitely 👍 Some commenters on the video were "rooting" for the bison and wanted consequences for the reckless tourists beyond the talking-to they got from a Yellowstone ranger.
Argyle chose a different tactic despite increasing disrespect from visitors when she warned them not to get too close to animals.
"Human compassion is a thing," she said. "I feel like we've lost that in a lot of ways, so I'm always going to try and help people and get them out of danger, regardless of the circumstances."
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