A 12-year-old Pennsylvania boy was flipped in the air by a bison near the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone on Friday.

A mature bull bison, apparently annoyed at the close proximity of the boy, tossed him approximately 10 feet in the air. 

Witnesses said the boy was posing for pictures with members of his family within one to two feet of the animal despite repeated warnings from other visitors to move further away. 

The incident occurred just off the trail adjacent to the Uncle Tom’s Trail parking lot along the South Rim Drive of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

The bull’s horns did not puncture the boy. The only outward injuries he suffered were abrasions possibly received from hitting the ground after the fall.

Because the boy complained of abdominal pain, he was transported by ambulance to the Lake Clinic and then flown to the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

The name and hometown of the injured juvenile were not immediately released. His current condition is not available.

Visitors are urged to be very cautious around the park’s wildlife. Extremely serious injuries or death can result from approaching wild animals too closely, even if they appear docile.

Park regulations require that a minimum distance of 100 yards be maintained from bears and wolves, and 25 yards from all other animals.

The accident was the first such incident this year in Yellowstone.

The Yellowstone bison population is down this year from about 4,700 animals in 2007 to an estimated 2,100 to 2,300 today.

The drop is due to management actions, hunting and a harsh winter that led to above-average mortality.

Officials slaughtered about 1,700 bison that left the park due to fears of spreading brucellosis, a disease affecting wildlife, cattle and humans.