Authorities say a man camping on Catalina Island has been gored by a buffalo.

Los Angeles County sheriff's officials say the man was sitting on a log Saturday evening and the buffalo was grazing nearby.

Sgt. Ray Ward says when the buffalo came closer the man tried to move away and that's when the animal charged.

Ward says the buffalo gored the man's left arm. He didn't know the extent of the injuries.

Coast Guard air rescue teams often get called upon to do medical evacuations from Catalina Island and other places that would otherwise take much longer to reach by boat. Maya Sugarman/KPCC

The Orange County Register reports the man was treated at the scene and then airlifted to a hospital on the mainland.

Buffalo are common and roam freely on the back side of Catalina Island, where there are campgrounds. They have roamed the island for about a century but Ward says it's rare for them to attack humans.