Bison attack on couple
Hiker in Antelope Park, Utah, tells of terrifying attack on him and girlfriend
AFTER recovering from a cracked rib and collapsed lung, Kyler Bourgeous thought he was ready to return to Utah’s Antelope Island State Park, in the US, where he was gored by a bison during a June trail run.
So he headed there with a date on Friday evening, figuring they could watch the sunset together. After all, what were the chances the bison would charge again?
The next thing he knew, his date, Kayleigh Davis, was being airlifted to the hospital, the victim of the park’s second reported bison attack this year.
“I thought my situation was just a freak accident,” Bourgeous said. “But apparently, they’re a lot more aggressive than I ever thought.”
Statistically speaking, bison attacks are a relatively rare occurrence on Antelope Island, a 109km² preserve in the Great Salt Lake that is one of Utah’s most popular parks and also home to hundreds of free-range bison.
Making the coincidence even more bizarre, neither Davis, 22, nor Bourgeous, 30, made the mistake of trying to pet a bison or approach one for a selfie.
Both were gored while doing what experts recommend – trying to get out of the bison’s way.
Lieutenant Eric Stucki from Utah State Parks told the Associated Press there wasn’t any indication that either “did anything out of the ordinary” to antagonise the large mammals.
“There’s a fair number of people that assume by association that this was somehow my fault, because I was there when it happened again,” Bourgeous said.
“I would never intentionally approach a bison.”
Bourgeous has been visiting Antelope Island State Park his entire life, logging thousands of kilometres on its breathtakingly scenic trails. Before his accident, he often went there four or five times a week.
He’s used to keeping his distance from the bison, mule deer, pronghorns and bighorn sheep that call the park home.
On June 1, Bourgeous set out to climb the trail that leads to the highest point in the park, something that he estimates he has done more than 150 times. This time, though, he approached the summit only to discover that two adult bison were waiting on the opposite side of the ridge. As soon as he saw them, he rushed to get out of their sight. But it was too late. One of the huge, shaggy beasts, which can run at up to 55km/h, was charging him.
“You can’t outrun bison,” Bourgeous said.
One of the animals collided with him, ramming its horns into his hip and armpit and sending him flying. When Bourgeous crashed to the ground, the bison trampled him with its hoofs, then lingered nearby to see if he would budge again.
“It’s just hovering there, waiting for you to move, and it will finish you off if you do,” he recalled.
Fortunately, people who were perched on nearby rocks had witnessed the attack, and Bourgeous was able to call to them and ask for a rescue helicopter.
After a few days in the hospital, the doctors determined that his collapsed lung seemed to be holding up just fine. Still, it took several months before Bourgeous was able to work his way up to going for long trail runs and hikes at Antelope Island State Park again.
Despite his terrifying encounter with the bison, he still felt drawn toward the park’s natural splendour.
“I’ve never seen better sunsets anywhere,” he said. “It’s just such a great place.”
While recovering from the bison attack, Bourgeous connected with Davis online, and the two bonded over their shared love of the outdoors. Ironically, Bourgeous recalls, Davis broke the ice by asking him about being attacked by a bison.
The two had gone on several dates before Friday, when Bourgeous asked if she wanted to watch the sunset from Antelope Island.
As it turned out, Davis was already headed there: she was training for a half-marathon, and wanted to get a run in. They picked a trail with a good view of the lake, and Bourgeous gave her a head start so that he could put on bug spray.
He was about 400m from catching up when a group of Boy Scouts passed on bicycles. Moments later, the Scouts came rushing back, and told him that a woman had just been gored by a bison.
“I was in disbelief,” he said. Davis told KSL-TV that as soon as she spotted the bison, she turned and hopped off the trail to give the animal space. Then, the Boy Scouts rode by.
While it’s not clear what angered the bison, Davis told the station that she thought the bicycles could have “spooked him”. The enormous animal turned on her and charged, throwing her almost 4m in the air.
“He was hanging over me, sniffing me for a minute, and he was digging like he was about to charge again,” Davis told KSL-TV.
When Bourgeous found her, Davis was bleeding from her left thigh, where the bison had gored her. She had also broken her right ankle.
Although it would be hard to think of a more disastrous ending for a date than getting carried away in a medical helicopter, the pair’s budding relationship hasn’t suffered so far.
It’s just hovering there, waiting for you to move, and it will finish you off
Kyler Bourgeous
BISON ATTACK SURVIVOR