A nine-year-old girl has been taken to hospital after a bison charged at her in Yellowstone National Park.
The girl, who has remained unidentified, was tossed violently into the air after the animal ran at her during a visit to the park in Wyoming, USA.
The National Park Service confirmed the incident in a statement released yesterday.
Watch the shocking footage below - the poor girl went flying:The girl was reportedly with a group of people in the Old Faithful Geyser area of the park, and was standing within five to ten feet of the bison when it charged.
The group was comprised of 50-60 people, who were gathered near the animal for around 20 minutes, before doing something that "[caused] the bison to charge". The park service did not specify what provoked the animal.
Eighteen-year-old Hailey Dayton, who caught the event on camera, says she was filming the bison eating when it suddenly attacked the young girl.
"My brother and I were looking at the hot springs, and we saw a bunch of people running down the path to the bridge. We saw through the trees some people petting the bison, super close," she told NBC News on Wednesday.
"Because it was agitated by all the people and noise, it just kind of attacked," continued Dayton, who was visiting the park on a family road trip. "After that, everyone was screaming. There were a bunch of kids crying."
While the park service's statement confirmed that the 9-year-old was "assessed and treated by park emergency medical providers, and later taken to and released from the Old Faithful Clinic," they did not detail her injuries.
The incident is still under investigation, and no citations have been served.
The National Park Service reiterated that animals at Yellowstone National Park are wild, and that visitors should always stay at least 25 yards away from bison, deer, moose, and elk.
