A 9-year-old girl had a close encounter with a bison at Yellowstone National Park that literally sent her flying. The girl was treated by park emergency workers and released from the Old Faithful Clinic, though the extent of her injuries was not confirmed.

The incident, which was caught on camera, happened Monday when the girl was with another 50 guests around the Old Faithful geyser. A bison prompted onlookers to take pictures and record videos of the large animal.

But the bison began to get worked up and charged into the crowd. While most of the guests were able to get out of the way, it eventually hit the girl and sent her flying through the air.

One of the onlookers, Hailey Dayton, recorded the incident and posted it online.

While the incident is under investigation by park officials, this is not something new for Yellowstone National Park.

The National Park Service says Yellowstone is the only place in the 48 lower states that house bison safely and is the only area to act as a home to these large animals “since prehistoric times.” Herds of bison are also allowed to openly roam the park in relative freedom. This has led to incidents in the past with park-goers getting a little overzealous with bison when visiting.

One of the most recent incidents involved a man from Oregon who got out of his car to begin taunting a bison that was crossing a road that passed through the park in August of 2018. The man was sentenced to 130 days in jail.

Yellowstone
A trio of snowmobilers enter Yellowstone National Park in west Yellowstone, Montana, Feb. 17, 2003. Getty Images
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