Bison Attack on Tourist Caught on Wild Video

A tourist learned the hard way why getting too close to a wild bison can be a terrifying mistake.

Dramatic video from Poland’s famous Białowieża Forest shows a massive European bison charging a man, knocking him to the ground and then refusing to let him get back on his feet.

The frightening encounter unfolded last Monday after the unidentified tourist reportedly wandered within about 20 feet of the huge animal.

At first, the man appears to be standing in a grassy area near the bison. Then, without much warning, the enormous animal charges.

The bison barrels into the tourist and sends him crashing to the ground.

But the ordeal was far from over.

Video from the scene shows the hulking animal looming over the fallen man as he lies helplessly in the grass.

When the tourist tries to stand, the bison immediately moves toward him again, swiping at him and knocking him back down.

Nature photographer Grzegorz Ryński, who captured the terrifying scene, realized the man was in serious danger.

Ryński reportedly shouted for the tourist to stay still and then began using his vehicle to create a barrier between the injured man and the bison.

He slowly drove toward the animal while keeping one of the vehicle’s doors open, hoping the tourist would climb inside and escape.

Instead, the shaken man apparently panicked.

Rather than getting into the vehicle, he tried to make his getaway on foot.

Ryński was forced to slowly reverse alongside him, keeping the SUV between the tourist and the bison until they finally managed to put enough distance between themselves and the animal.

Despite the frightening attack, Ryński said the bison could have done far worse.

“We shouldn’t blame the bison. The man was actually very lucky because this particular animal was quite calm. There are much more aggressive individuals,” Ryński told broadcaster TVN24.

Ryński’s wife, Aneta, also witnessed the encounter and said the tourist was left with a deep cut on his calf along with significant bruising.

He was eventually taken to a hospital for treatment.

Aneta said the terrifying encounter should serve as a warning to anyone tempted to approach wild animals for a closer look.

“A bison is a wild animal. If a person gets too close, the animal may feel threatened and attack,” she said.

Białowieża Forest sits along Poland’s border with Belarus and is one of Europe’s best-known wildlife refuges.

Roughly 1,176 free-ranging European bison live in the forest, giving visitors a rare opportunity to see the enormous animals in the wild.

But getting too close can quickly turn dangerous.

Bison are tremendously powerful animals, and wildlife officials routinely warn visitors to give them plenty of space.

The shocking incident in Poland comes just weeks after another terrifying bison encounter made headlines in the United States.

In July, a man known as Grandpa Carl Isom-McDaniel was reportedly launched about eight feet into the air during a viral bison attack at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.

Bison can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds, making even a brief encounter potentially devastating.

For the tourist in Poland, what began as a close-up wildlife encounter ended with him battered, bleeding and desperately trying to escape a massive animal that clearly had no intention of letting him get any closer.