Estes Park, Colorado, is a year-round tourist hotspot. It constantly offers stunning views of the surrounding mountains and is home to the legendary Stanley Hotel. Plus it borders Rocky Mountain National Park, bringing in crowds of out-of-towners throughout all four seasons. But the fall brings in the crowds for a slightly different reason. The annual elk rut, or elk mating season.
During the rut, tourists frequently catch sights of bull elk battling each other for dominance, chasing away other males or perceived threats while trying to prove themselves to females, or the cows. Their usual aversion to humans that they display is set aside, and tourists who come to close often find themselves in some serious predicaments. The Estes Park dispatch center receives near-daily calls in relation to elk incidents throughout this time, with people like the woman below failing to heed safety guidelines.
Not only did this woman come way too close to a cow elk while crossing the bridge, she came between a bull and a cow while doing so, putting herself in serious danger. In Rocky Mountain National Park, elk are required to be given at least 75 feet (25 yards) of space at all times, and harassing or feeding any animals is illegal in all national parks. Estes Park dictates that, if an elk is changing its behavior because of a person, that person is too close. This woman was incredible fortunate that neither the cow or bull decided to attack through the encounter. Read more on elk safety in Estes Park below:
Estes Park Elk Safety Guidelines:
- Elk are wild animals which must be observed from a safe distance to avoid injury or death. If an animal is carefully watching you and appears jumpy when you move, you are too close.
- Keep pets secured on a leash and do not allow them to bark at, lunge at, or chase wildlife.
- Never block traffic. Move your vehicle to a safe place completely off the roadway to watch elk.
- Do not imitate an elk call, or bugle, when elk are irritable during the rut. This can endanger you and the elk.
- Elk know no boundaries, but people do. Respect private property when viewing wildlife.
- The Estes Park Police Department does enforce wildlife laws including laws against feeding or harassing wildlife, or allowing one’s pet to harass wildlife.
