Man who was attacked by a bison after trying to touch it admits 'I am definitely an idiot'
A man who was attacked by a bison and seriously injured has admitted he is an "idiot" after he tried to pet the dangerous animal.
Halen Carbajal is now recovering after approaching a bison on private property in Provo, a city in Southern Utah.
He and his girlfriend were on their way home from a Thanksgiving celebration in a family cabin when Halen tried to walk close to the animal.
The bison attacked him, leaving him with severe injuries, including liver laceration, a broken rib, and a bruised lung.
Recalling the incident on KUTV, he said: "I was definitely an idiot in this scenario. I crossed through the fence.
"I started walking back near the fence. By the time I got back to the fence, he had followed me all the way over, and I was like oh, that's pretty cool. I kind of did want to pet him, so I was just being naïve about the whole thing, so I did that, and yeah, he just rocked me pretty good.
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"It was for sure a reality check or recognizing my naivety and thinking it would be fine to try and touch one, and just realising that you got to have a lot more reverence for big crazy beasts like that. You have to have a lot more reverence for big crazy beasts like that, you know. There's admiration and then there's a level of respect you have to have with just keeping your distance."
Recalling the moment of the attack, Halen said the horn "went in" to his body before he managed to somehow escape by crawling through a fence.
He continued: "He [bison] dipped his head down, and I think that's the point where his horn went in, and he caught me right there, and I was flipped. I think he stuck me and then lifted me, which would make sense why my rib was broken too. I crawled.
"There was a fence with some pretty good gaps in it, so I squeezed through the lower ones. I don't think he was really trying to attack me. I think he was just curious because he didn't go after me after that."
Faith Heaton-Jolley, spokesperson for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resource, has warned that bison are not friendly and therefore should not be approached.
She said: "There's just this common misconception that because they kind of look like cows, people think they're domestic or friendly. They are wild animals. They do act unpredictably sometimes, and they can act aggressively if you get too close to them."
A friend of Halen has since set up a fundraiser that says: "Hi, I’m fundraising to help Halen Carbajal with the medical bills that are racking up after he was gored by a Buffalo in southern Utah on November 21st. The Buffalo gored Halen in the abdomen causing an eight-inch laceration, broken rib, lacerated liver, and bruised lung. He had to be life-flighted from the ER in Teasdale to the ICU in Utah Valley and spent 7 days in the hospital. He is now home under the care of a home health nurse.
"Halen is one of the best and most selfless people I know. He just finished a season working with the Utah Conservation Corps and he relies on his physical health for the kinds of work he does. Halen is in good spirits despite his situation and we’re all hoping for a smooth recovery. Anything to help with the emergency medical bills will be so appreciated."
