Man Seen in Viral Yellowstone Bison Encounter Arrested

Raymond Reinke of Oregon after he was arrested for harassing a bison in Yellowstone National Park on Aug. 2, 2018. (Glacier National Park)

The man seen in a viral video challenging a bison in Yellowstone National Park has been arrested.

The video showed the man, identified as 55-year-old Raymond Reinke of Oregon, moving toward the bison that was walking across the road before stopping on the side.

Reinke bellows and taunts the bison before it charges him twice. Both times, Reinke barely dodges the huge animal.

A press release obtained by Glacier National Park stated that rangers there arrested Reinke late on Aug. 2, reported NBC.

The release states that Reinke was on a tour of national parks in the area, and had already been arrested once for being drunk and disorderly at Grand Teton National Park on July 28. He was released on bond.

Rangers stated that Reinke was also given a ticket on July 31 at Yellowstone for being intoxicated and argumentative.

Rangers believe the video was recorded shortly after Reinke received the ticket.

A warrant was issued for Renke’s arrest after the incident went viral and rangers identified the man in the video as Reinke; the assistant U.S. attorney requested that the bond be revoked, and the request was granted.

Reinke was taken to the jail at Yellowstone. According to The Associated Press, Reinke will have a hearing next week and requested a court-appointed attorney.

Bison can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds and stand 6 feet tall at the shoulder, according to the Department of the Interior.

Bison encounters can be deadly, with a number of people dying over the years when they got too close to the animals. “Animals in Yellowstone are wild and unpredictable, no matter how calm they appear to be,” noted the National Park Service, in an alert about a 59-year-old California woman being gored by a bison in Yellowstone in June.

The woman suffered a hip injury but survived.

From NTD.tv