A reporter suddenly found himself in the spotlight on social media after he was forced to abandon a broadcast for a news segment thanks to a herd of bison he saw headed his way.
Being a reporter can be a dangerous occupation but you normally wouldn’t associate recording a news segment at Yellowstone National Park to be one such occasion (as long as it’s not erupting, that is). But reporter Deion Broxton found himself in a dilemma in the middle of his broadcast after something caught his eye off-camera.
“Oh my god. Oh my god,” he was seen saying as his eyes kept flicking to whatever it was that was making him nervous.
“Oh no I ain’t messin’ with you, oh no, oh no, oh no, I’m not messin’ with you,” he exclaimed before he finally decided to stop the recording, pack up his camera, and rushed back to his vehicle.
But seeing that it was a herd of bison that Deion saw heading his way, it’s understandable why he reacted that way.
Of course, that whole incident inadvertently made Deion into something of a meme and the clip has been viewed more than 5.4 million times on Twitter. Nevertheless, Yellowstone National Park thanked Deion because his reaction was “a perfect example of what to do when approached by wildlife.”
Still, it was an amusing take on the “Yellowstone Pledge” which advises all visitors to the park to maintain a safe distance from animals at all times.
But Deion’s abundance of caution was warranted. Bison are incredibly powerful with males reaching up to 2,000 lbs (907 kg) in weight and able to reach speeds of up to 40 mph.
In fact, they posed such a danger to people that in 2015, Yellowstone National Park started distributing warning pamphlets to visitors after five people got gored by the animals over a span of three months.
At the time, Yellowstone spokesperson Amy Bartlett said: “I just don’t think people realize how fast bison move. They’re big animals, but they move quickly. And so when a bison becomes agitated, it doesn’t take him long to cover that short distance.
“A ranger can’t be at every bison all the time, so people need to keep that common sense.”
A nine-year-old girl was hospitalized just last year when she was gored by a bison in the park.
The girl was in the Old Faithful Geyser area and was standing too close to the bison and was catapulted in the air after being struck.
The National Parks Service said in a statement that the group of about 50 to 60 people was crowded around the beast for around 20 minutes, “causing the bison to charge.”
Replaced!