Rutting wildlife can pose threat to curious onlookers

As mating season hits wildlife around the park, wardens are warning visitors to exercise caution, especially when it comes to aggressive bull elk that are herding females. From the beginning of September to the beginning of October, male elk will herd and breed cow elk, as well as fight off threats from other males.

“So the dominant bull is really under a heck of a lot of stress,” said warden Terry Winkler. “He’s jacked up on hormones, and he’s spending about a month where he’s not eating, he’s basically traveling, running, herding these cows and chasing off other bulls.”

Parks Canada posts warnings about elk twice each year, once in the spring when the animals have their calves, and another now, during the rut.

“They come to the townsite because of its beautiful, watered green spaces because it’s a good spot where they can gather their herd of cows and protect them,” Winkler said. “Now you have a bull that is trying to protect his herd of cows, and if you get visitors coming too close that bull will come out of the herd of cows and run after the photographer or the hiker.”

These animals are on the offense, so much so that a car may not be protection enough.

“Whether you’re on foot, on a bicycle or if you drive your vehicle too close they’ll actually take a run at the car,” he said. “We’ve had tires punctured, radiators punctured, windows put out, holes put into doors, a whole variety of things, so it’s a good idea to gives these animals a wide berth.”

If an elk does give chase, the best course of action is to take cover. “Look for any items you can hide behind, a tree, picnic table, step into someone’s yard,” Winkler said. “Keep something between you and him.”

And Winkler should know – he usually gets chased by a bull elk at least once every fall, when ushering the herds out of town. “It’s quite a common occurrence,” he said. “We’re handling and trying to move these cows out, they’ll put the run on you.”

When a bull elk poses a serious problem, Wardens first try to move it away from people, though more drastic measures are sometimes required. “If we ended up having an aggressive bull that was chasing cars or chasing people, we may in some cases saw a bull’s antlers off,” Winkler said.

“It takes him out of the running because he now has no material to fight with, so the aggression moves out of them pretty quick.”

The best solution is to prevent wildlife conflicts with humans. Winkler said people should always stay 30 m away from elk, and watch for warning signs that suggest the animal is irritated. If it stares, shakes its head, paws the ground, curls its lips or grinds its teeth, it’s high time to back away and get on the other side of a large object. 

No major incidents have been reported to Parks yet this year, though rumours have started to fly. “We heard a second-hand story that a car’s been skewered,” Winkler said. “It certainly can happen.”