Conservationist Attacked by Catalina Bison

The president and chief executive officer of a company that helps to provide conservation and education programs on Catalina Island was recovering in a hospital today after being attacked and injured by a bison, an official said.

Chris Baker of American Conservation Experience was doing GPS mapping for a bid he is producing for the Catalina Island Conservancy for a new trail system on the island when he was attacked Wednesday near the Isthmus Pier near Two Harbors by one of the bison that roam parts of Catalina, Susie Jardine of ACE said.

“As Mr. Baker was walking down a trail he turned a corner and a bison was directly in his path,” Jardine said.

Baker walked about a quarter-mile down the trail to seek help when three off-duty firefighter/paramedics found him and began to render aid, she said.

Baker was airlifted to Harbor UCLA Medical Center, where he underwent surgery for a punctured lung and today was “doing well” as he recovers from moderate injuries that also included some broken ribs, Jardine said.

Since 2008, ACE has partnered with the Catalina Island Conservancy to provide conservation and education programs to young adults, she said.

City News Service; Photo: Wikimedia Commons