A Texas hiker is warning other outdoor enthusiasts to beware of bison through a viral TikTok video that shows one charging her on a trail, sending her to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The TikTok user, whose profile identifies her as Rebecca Clark, says in the video — which was posted last week and had 2.1 million views by Tuesday morning — that she was “charged and gored by a bison” while hiking alone at Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailway in Briscoe County, about 100 miles southeast of Amarillo.
The video shows what appears to be a group of three bison passing ahead of Clark on a trail as she slowly tries to move ahead on the trail.
“I don’t want to deal with them,” she narrates in the video. “I just want to go by.”
Clark initially appears to move past them without any problem. But seconds later, at least one bison charges at her, prompting her to scream, run and seemingly fall to the ground.
In a follow-up video posted two days later that has more than 260,000 views, Clark claimed the bison “rammed my back, gored me and threw me into a mesquite bush where I laid for 50 minutes” before being transported to a hospital by helicopter.
Screenshots of texts included in the video show her begging for help and claiming the incident would “make a hell” of a TikTok.
“I am okay!” she wrote in the caption of that video. “Thank you for all your concerns and to tell you the truth your humor as well.”
The date and time of the incident were not immediately clear.
Clark, the Texas Park and Wildlife Department, and United Regional Wichita Falls, the hospital where Clark said she received treatment, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Clark wrote in the caption of the original video that she was “posting to support safety while enjoying Texas State Parks” and called the bison “beautiful creatures.”
Once nearly extinct, bison now number half a million, with most part of private herds, according to the Texas Park and Wildlife Department.
Caprock Canyons State Park is the home of the Texas State Bison Herd, which is monitored by park officials, according to the department.
Bison play an important role in the ecosystem and once provided “everything needed for human survival on the plains including food, shelter, clothing, and tools,” the department said.
Bison are also temperamental, the parks department website warns. Signs of agitation or anxiety in bison include them raising their tails, pawing the ground, or lowering their heads.
“If you see any of these behaviors, leave the area,” the department warned.
Otherwise, bison always have the right of way, and humans should avoid getting too close to them.
“As a rule, bison require at least 50 yards (half a football field) between them and people,” the Texas Park and Wildlife Department said. “Use the ‘Rule of Thumb’ to make sure you are far enough away: Stretch your arm out away from your face and give bison a thumbs up! Now close one eye. Can you cover the bison with your thumb? If not, you’re too close!”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
