© Jeff GritchenA man was hospitalized Wednesday morning after a bison attack on Catalina Island, officials said.
Los Angeles County Fire Department officials helped Chris Baker, 43, around 8:40 a.m. after he was gored by a bison near Isthmus Pier, near the Two Harbors area.
He was airlifted by helicopter to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center about an hour after the attack, said Matt McClain, director of marketing and communications for the Catalina Island Conservancy.
Baker was on a hiking trail near Tower Peak on the isthmus side of an 8-foot fence, where two or three bison roam, McClain said.
"Every once and a while, they get through that gate," McClain said.
Baker was taking a photo of the animal when he was attacked, his mother, Elaine Garan, told the Register. She said Baker suffered a punctured lung and was in surgery Wednesday evening, though officials declined to confirm his injuries.
"He's such an animal lover," Garan said.
What happened to the bison responsible for the attack was unknown, Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector David Dantic said.
The conservancy and the American Conservation Experience, of which Baker was CEO and president, work on trail projects together. Around 150 bison live on the island.
In 2012, a 9-year-old boy was tossed into the air when he was attacked by a bison on the island. A Cerritos man in 2007 suffered a fractured pelvic bone and an open wound after an encounter with the large animal.
A male bison can weigh up to a ton, and a female up to 900 pounds, according to the National Wildlife Federation. They can grow as tall as 6 feet and live up to 20 years. They mostly feast on grass and sedges.
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