Watch: Bison knocks tourist to the ground and stands over him in Poland after he gets ‘too close’; video goes viral

A tourist in Poland had a close encounter with a bison after getting dangerously close to the wild animal in the Białowieża Forest. The incident was recorded by nature photographer Grzegorz Ryński, who witnessed the encounter and later shared the footage on Facebook.

“Today, my wife and I witnessed a very dangerous incident in the Bialowieska Forest. A man approached too close to the rhino and entered its safety zone. The animal reacted defensively, turning the man around. My wife started recording the entire incident from the very beginning.
When the man was already on the ground, we shouted at him not to move because the rhino was still very close, and any sudden movement could provoke another attack,” the caption of the post read.


“At one point, I decided to drive over and distract the rhino. The animal moved away, allowing the man to get up and leave the area safely. I am publishing this recording as a warning. The rhino is not a mascot. It is a wild animal weighing several hundred kilograms and can be very dangerous when in danger. Keep a safe distance (minimum 50m) and never approach rhinos, even if they seem calm. One careless decision can end in tragedy,” it further stated

The footage was also shared by Polish news outlet TVP World and USA Today. It shows the tourist approaching the enormous bison in Białowieża Forest, a famed woodland situated along Poland’s border with Belarus. According to witnesses who spoke to a local outlet, the man moved to within about 13 to 16 feet of the animal.

Viral video explained

The encounter quickly turned dangerous. Footage shows the unidentified tourist lying on the ground after being knocked down by the bison, with the animal standing above him and continuing to flick its tail. Other visitors eventually managed to help the man after the bison became distracted, the outlet reported.



Ryński later described how he helped the tourist get away from the animal. He said he instructed the man not to move and then used his car to provide a possible escape. He reportedly told private Polish broadcaster TVN24 that he got into his car and slowly drove toward the scene with one door open, allowing the injured man to climb inside, PEOPLE reported, citing TVP World. The man eventually reached Ryński’s car after getting to a safe distance from the animal.

The size and physical abilities of European bison make encounters with the animals potentially dangerous. Fota Wildlife Park in Ireland describes the European bison as the largest land mammal in Europe. Adult animals can weigh between 1,300 to 2,000 pounds and reach a height of around 5.9 to 6.9 feet.

“Despite their size, they are surprisingly agile, capable of leaping over a three-meter-wide stream from a standing position,” the wildlife park states.

Białowieża Forest is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and provides a natural habitat for an estimated 900 free-roaming bison. European bison are considered near threatened, and around 7,000 individual animals are believed to remain worldwide. The species can be found in Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine and other parts of eastern Europe.