Protective elk chases tourists away from her baby near Yellowstone Hotel, video shows
Wildlife officials in Yellowstone National Park are investigating after a mother elk was spotted charging down any tourist who got too close to her calf.
Video filmed from the Yellowstone Hotel shows the protective mom chasing two people down the hotel grounds as they run away.
The clip was uploaded to the @TouronsofYellowstone Instagram page on Sunday, June 11.
“Happened yesterday at Yellowstone Hotel,” the caption says. “Elk was charging everyone protecting her calf. People running away tried taking an up close picture.”
Yellowstone officials told McClatchy News they were aware of the incident and they are investigating.
“What did they expect?” someone commented. “They are in the wild and should have been more respectful of their surroundings! Lucky just [was] elk, could have been much worse!”
Elk — especially mother cows — are fiercely protective of their calves during calving season in May and into late June. They’re also “much more aggressive towards people during the calving season and may run towards you or kick,” officials said in a news release.
It’s a good idea to look around corners before leaving buildings or when walking around blind spots because cow elk might bed their calves near buildings and under cars, officials said.
“This time of the year the cow elk are having their babies, a lot of times they’ll stash them somewhere to go eat while watching from a distance,” the caption on the video says. “You could just be walking by minding your own business and happen to walk by an elk calf without even knowing it.”
While it’s important to always be vigilant in the park, it’s even more important during the elk and bison rut and during calving season, the caption says. Visitors should stay at least 75 feet from elk.
If an elk does run toward you, quickly shelter inside a car or behind a “tall, sturdy barrier.”
“You are responsible for your own safety,” officials said in the release. “Attacks can be unprovoked and unpredictable.”
This story was originally published June 15, 2023 at 3:20 PM with the headline "Protective elk chases tourists away from her baby near Yellowstone Hotel, video shows."
