A female motorcyclist failed to follow park rules and safety signs and paid for it. She was attacked by a buffalo defending the calves in their herd during a riding trip through a South Dakota state park.
Officials have credited a most unlikely thing for her survival. The bison ripped off her pants, leaving her lying in the grass unconscious.
Locals had little sympathy for yet another park visitor harassing the wildlife.
The incident happened at Custer State Park in the Black Hills region of the state, where thousands of bikers have converged on the area for the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
Video taken by another motorcyclist shows several riders' unsafe behavior and the attack that resulted from it.
WARNING: video contains NSFW language
Female Biker Attacked by Bisonyoutu.be
The video shows a large herd of buffalo (North American Bison) stretching across the road the bikers are on.
Several bikers can be seen walking around photographing the buffalo, getting too close for comfort for the couple filming the video. There are several calves in the herd.
As the bikers approach, the woman can be heard saying:
"Somebody'll get killed."
But one woman in particular keeps getting closer and closer to a group of buffalo, taking photos with her phone. It seems as though the couple filming the video can almost sense what is about to happen.
The man says:
"Jesus what the fu*ck is she doing?"
The woman replies in exasperation:
"How close does she have to get?
A few moments later, the woman filming exclaims:
"Oh my God he got her! Holy sh*t!"
Other cyclists can be seen running toward the woman as a buffalo swings her around several times by its horns. The woman then flies out of her pants and lays still in the grass, and the herd of buffalo run off.
In a Facebook post, the Custer County Sheriff said that the woman, a 54-year-old from Iowa, was attempting to photograph a buffalo calf that was nursing.
"She was apparently saved when her pants came off and she fell to the ground unconscious... at that point the attacking animal ran off along with the rest of the herd"
On Facebook, people didn't have much sympathy for the woman.
Jaron Smith/Facebook
Denise Bednar/Facebook
Donald Wesolowski/Facebook
Alice Auer/Facebook
Linda Thomason/Facebook
Vikki Kelner/Facebook
Missy Davis/Facebook
Wendy Farrell/Facebook
Steve Engelbrecht/Facebook
Savannah Murraine/Facebook
Monica Quarmby/Facebook
Kelly Ann/Facebook
In its Facebook post, the Custer County Sheriff reminded readers that it had just issued a warning last week that visitors to the park should keep their distance from buffalo, especially when calves are present.
The woman who provoked the attack was taken to the hospital by helicopter and, according to the Sheriff, "somehow escaped serious injury."
North American Bison are the largest mammal in North America.
Male buffalo weigh up to 2,000 pounds and stand 6 feet tall, while females weigh up to 1,000 pounds and reach a height of 4-5 feet. Buffalo can kill grizzly bears while defending their calves.
