YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — Panicked screams pierced the air at Yellowstone National Park Monday as visitors scattered.

A large bison meandering around a grassy hillside nearby had abruptly changed course. It was now thundering toward the group of people, headed straight for a girl.

In seconds, the powerful animal had reached the child, who was trying in vain to outrun it. With a swift toss of its head, the charging bison catapulted her high into the sky like a rag doll, flipping her head over heels before gravity sent her tumbling to the ground.

The alarming scene was captured in a 12-second video that was first shared Monday to Twitter and has since gone viral, serving as the latest reminder of the danger that can arise when people venture too close to wild animals. Before the original clip was deleted early Wednesday, it had racked up more than 4 million views and roughly 38,000 retweets.

On Tuesday, the National Park Service confirmed that a 9-year-old girl from Odessa, Fla., was injured after a male bison charged at her and tossed her into the air Monday afternoon near the Old Faithful Geyser area. Yellowstone is home to about 4,900 wild bison as well as a number of elk, wolves, and bears.

The girl’s family took her to a nearby lodge, where the park’s emergency medical providers treated her for unspecified injuries, the release said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS