Hiker's close call with bison sparks safety warning

Imagine you're hiking through a scenic park, marveling at the wildlife around you, when you suddenly come face-to-face with a bison.  

Rebecca Clark's encounter with a bison took an unexpected turn when she visited Caprock Canyons State Park in early October 2022, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

What began as a return trip to a park she had previously enjoyed turned into a perilous wildlife encounter that would go viral.   A year earlier, Clark had been captivated by Caprock Canyons during her first solo hiking and camping adventure.

The park, located about two hours from Lubbock or Amarillo, Texas, is renowned for its expansive blue skies, sprawling prairies, and dramatic red-rock formations. But its most intriguing feature—its wild bison herd—hadn’t been on her radar.   In late 2022, Caprock’s bison herd numbered around 350. These iconic animals, emblematic of the Great Plains, suddenly became the focus of Clark's visit when she stumbled upon them while hiking back from Lake Theo.

Clark shared her startling experience with CNN’s Ed Lavandera, recounting the intense moments that unfolded as she found herself face-to-face with the bison. “I decided to wait for them to clear the trail before I passed,” Clark recalled. But when the bison didn’t move quickly enough, she made the risky decision to walk past them, ignoring the recommended safety distance. Capturing the moment on her smartphone, she can be heard saying, “Thank you, I appreciate it,” as she navigates around the herd.   However, things escalated rapidly when an agitated bison noticed her. “The moment I saw him turn, I knew instantly he was going to come after me,” Clark said. True to her instinct, the bison charged with alarming speed, reaching Clark within seconds despite her desperate attempt to escape.   “It happened so fast,” Clark described. “He hit me in the back, rammed me, gored me, then flipped me onto the ground and into the mesquite bushes.”   In the aftermath, Clark found herself gored, bleeding, and alone, grappling with her survival.   Bison are known to be dangerous when provoked, and for good reason. Adult males can weigh between 2,000 to 2,200 pounds (907 to 998 kilograms), while females can reach up to 1,000 pounds (454 kilograms), according to the National Park Service. Coupled with their sharp horns and surprising speed—up to 30 mph (50 km/h)—they are formidable adversaries.

Their only large natural predators are wolf packs and grizzly bears. When it comes to humans versus bison, there’s no contest: armed hunters can overpower bison herds, but the animals themselves are formidable in their natural state. Native Americans lived harmoniously with bison for centuries, but the arrival of European settlers brought devastation, pushing the species to the brink of extinction by the late 1800s. 

Conservationists intervened just in time, and today, bison herds can be found across 12 US states. Yellowstone National Park remains the only location where they have grazed continuously since prehistoric times.   As wilderness areas become increasingly popular, managing interactions between visitors and wildlife becomes complex. Chris Geremia, senior bison biologist at Yellowstone, is deeply involved in this effort. “The first time you see a grizzly bear, a wolf, or a bison in this park, it’s a moment you’ll never forget. We want people to have those experiences because they’re what make this place special,” Geremia told CNN’s Ed Lavandera.  

However, Geremia emphasizes the importance of safety. “But it also means people can get hurt. You have to communicate to folks to stay back and give wildlife space because they are wild animals.”   Despite their typically placid demeanor, bison can become incredibly aggressive when threatened. "They’re a very peaceful animal, but if pushed, they will defend themselves aggressively," Geremia explains.