There were some very frantic moments for first responders last Friday after a 9-year-old climbed into the bison enclosure at the Wildlife Safari Park during a field trip.
It was just before 5 p.m. when the child with special needs scaled the fence and entered an area where the bison live. Some of them weigh 2,000 lbs and can run up to 40 mph.
From the time of the 911 call to when the Cass County Sheriff's deputy wearing a body camera spotted the boy, he had been on the wrong side of the fence for a half-hour. “Hey, stop. What's going on man? Come over here," the deputy is heard on his body camera.
Investigators had a lot of ground to cover. There are 23 bison spread across 40-acres at the Wildlife Safari Park. 440-acres make up the entire property.
The boy was in an area used by bison for grazing. Only later did investigators learn the animals were inside another fence at this time. However, he had just climbed a 7-foot fence.
“He had scaled that fence and gotten into the bison enclosure when he was contacted by the deputy,” Lt Larry Burke with the Cass County Sheriff’s office told 6 News. “He was within feet of another fence to go into another enclosure.”
Rescuing someone from bison isn’t something covered in law enforcement training. The four Cass County deputies, Nebraska state trooper and park rangers had to quickly understand the environment and how to approach the child and any animals.
At one point during the chase, they lost him. “It’s such a large area,” Lt Burke told 6 News. “And once he got into the foliage of the trees, they lost total contact with him of where exactly did he go.”
Finally he caught up to the child with special needs. “It’s dangerous out here buddy,” said the deputy. “We have to get out.” He spent the long walk back to the cruiser trying to calmly explain the danger. “There are big animals out here. It’s dangerous.”
The child was not injured and was returned to his guardian. The Wildlife Safari Park in Ashland team tells 6 News this is the first time such an incident has happened there -- that a child got into an enclosure.
(Photo: 6 News)