A Texas hiker is warning different outside fans to watch out for bison by means of a viral TikTok video that reveals one charging her on a path, sending her to the hospital with non-life-threatening accidents.
The TikTok person, whose profile identifies her as Rebecca Clark, says within the video — which was posted final week and had 2.1 million views by Tuesday morning — that she was “charged and gored by a bison” whereas mountaineering alone at Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailway in Briscoe County, about 100 miles southeast of Amarillo.
The video reveals what seems to be a bunch of three bison passing forward of Clark on a path as she slowly tries to maneuver forward on the path.
“I do not wish to cope with them,” she narrates within the video. “I simply wish to go by.”
Clark initially seems to maneuver previous them with none downside. However seconds later, at the least one bison fees at her, prompting her to scream, run and seemingly fall to the bottom.
In a follow-up video posted two days later that has greater than 260,000 views, Clark claimed the bison “rammed my again, gored me and threw me right into a mesquite bush the place I laid for 50 minutes” earlier than being transported to a hospital by helicopter.
Screenshots of texts included within the video present her begging for assist and claiming the incident would “make a hell” of a TikTok.
“I’m okay!” she wrote within the caption of that video. “Thanks for all of your issues and to let you know the reality your humor as properly.”
The date and time of the incident weren’t instantly clear.
Clark, the Texas Park and Wildlife Division, and United Regional Wichita Falls, the hospital the place Clark mentioned she obtained therapy, didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.
Clark wrote within the caption of the unique video that she was “posting to help security whereas having fun with Texas State Parks” and referred to as the bison “lovely creatures.”
As soon as practically extinct, bison now quantity half 1,000,000, with most a part of non-public herds, in line with the Texas Park and Wildlife Division.
Caprock Canyons State Park is the house of the Texas State Bison Herd, which is monitored by park officers, in line with the division.
Bison play an essential function within the ecosystem and as soon as supplied “every thing wanted for human survival on the plains together with meals, shelter, clothes, and instruments,” the division mentioned.
Bison are additionally temperamental, the parks division web site warns. Indicators of agitation or anxiousness in bison embody them elevating their tails, pawing the bottom, or decreasing their heads.
“If you happen to see any of those behaviors, go away the world,” the division warned.
In any other case, bison at all times have the precise of approach, and people ought to keep away from getting too near them.
“As a rule, bison require at the least 50 yards (half a soccer discipline) between them and folks,” the Texas Park and Wildlife Division mentioned. “Use the ‘Rule of Thumb’ to be sure you are far sufficient away: Stretch your arm out away out of your face and provides bison a thumbs up! Now shut one eye. Are you able to cowl the bison together with your thumb? If not, you’re too shut!”
