'I was shocked:' Video shows bison with its head trapped in car at Quebec wildlife park
A large bison at a wildlife park in western Quebec is unhurt after a frightening incident over the weekend.
The bison—weighing in well more than 450 kilograms—got its head stuck through the open window of a small car on Sunday at Parc Oméga, east of Gatineau, near Montebello, Que.
“Somebody opened the window and … the bison put the head inside the car and I was shocked,” said Leonardo Heizer, who was at the park and captured the now viral video.
Heizer and his family made the drive from Ottawa, hoping to see bison for the first time since immigrating to Canada from Brazil four years ago.
What he saw instead was something staff at the park say has never happened before.
“I was thinking somebody is going to get hurt for sure,” Heizer said.
Thankfully, staff say the bison was able to free itself from the vehicle in about ten minutes without harming itself or the people in the car.
“He wasn’t trapped that long so thankfully it was just more panic rather than anything else, so he wasn’t hurt and he managed to get himself back out and he wasn’t hurt so we’re very thankful for that,” Lucy Robertson, a staff member at Parc Oméga said.
Robertson says the incident is a reminder of the importance of following the park’s rules.
“All of our safety rules have been put in place to avoid any incidents, such as what happened on Sunday, and just to ensure the safety of both animals and our visitors,” she noted.
The park expressly forbids people from opening their windows in the bison enclosure, or feeding the animals.
Heizer says the car involved was significantly damaged.
“The windshield was damaged and the column between the front window and the windshield was damaged too,” he noted.
Staff at the park couldn’t say whether the driver of the vehicle would face any punishment as a result of the incident.
The park remains open and visitors can still see the bison in its enclosure.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.