Weak-legged and doe-eyed, calf elk look cute and cuddly. But the real world is not like Bambi. There’s no amicable friendship between the creatures, and certainly no wise old owl grumbling on about being “twitterpated”. Indeed, elk calving season is one of the more dangerous times of year to encounter these noble foragers of the forest, so hikers and bikers are warned to be on their guard, and avoid the substantial sections of territory declared off limits by Parks Canada.

“These areas are traditional areas for calving,” said Wes Bradford, the human-wildlife conflict specialist for Jasper National Park.

For the next six weeks, the River Trail and the area between Highway 93 and the Athabasca River (across from Whistlers campground) is closed to all traffic, as well as the area to the west of Pine Bungalows between Highway 16 and the Athabasca River and area between the Athabasca River and the Lac Beauvert road from Old Fort Point to Lac Beauvert. While all popular areas due to the proximity of the scenic riverside, human users will have to forgo the pleasure of frequenting these places as the cow elk hunker down to have their young.

These areas have been shut down every spring for the past 12 years, after a string of encounters between calving elk and hapless humans became increasingly violent and a concern for Parks managers. Since the shutdowns have been in place, the elk are less stressed and encounters are way down, according to Bradford.

Humans enjoy the river banks because of the scenery and the shade. Elk, meanwhile, have a strategic reason to choose the sides of the Athabasca as a calving ground. First of all, the river prevents the approach from predators on at least one side. Thick grass and brush around the banks help to hide newborn calves, who have to be left alone as their mothers graze.

“A lot of the areas where you see elk calving, they’ll have the calves protected from as many sides as possible,” said Bradford. “It’s also near a body of water, which is important.”

Park wardens like Bradford have done more than simple close trails and hope for the best. They’ve actively encouraged elk to calve in these zones, removing newborn calves from high-traffic areas like Whistlers Campground or in between the buildings at Jasper Park Lodge. Just last week, a calf was born in the campground, but Bradford’s colleagues soon hustled it and its anxious mother away from the tents and RVs.

People have been pretty good about observing the lengthy closures, Bradford said, estimating a compliance rate of between 95 and 98 per cent. One issue seems to be guests and employees at Jasper Park Lodge who cut through the corners of one closed area in order to take time off their walk from Jasper. At this time of year, take shortcuts at your peril, Bradford said.

“Look, if you cut through and get charged by an elk, that’s your consequence,” he said. “If they get into a closed area, sometimes people will be trapped at the edge of Lac Beauvert and we have to come and distract the elk so they can escape.”

Elk are known to calve in areas outside the closed zones, near ponds along the Snaring Road and further along the Overland Trail past Maligne Canyon, for instance. If an elk gets aggressive towards a human outside the closed area, steps have to be taken.

“We try to move the cow and calf to an area without a lot of traffic,” said Bradford. The problem with moving elk any substantial distance is that the cow elk has to be tranquilized. This can have fatal consequences for the calf.

“Probably 90 per cent of the time when we have to immobilize the cow, then the calf is abandoned,” Bradford said.

The approximately 200 elk around Jasper don’t all calve at once. The first wave of babies are born in the next week or so, and another batch crop up in about three weeks. During this entire time, grizzly and black bears will be frequenting areas near Jasper, on the prowl for vulnerable newborn calves. Bradford advises that bears are particularly fond of areas around Old Fort Point, Lake Edith and Annette and will be moving back and forth along the Pyramid Bench fireguard.

Bears are potentially dangerous when they are hunting and feeding on fresh kills, Bradford said.

“These bears will capture a calf and eat it very quickly, but sometimes they will be chased away and they’ll be carrying the carcass along with them,” he said. Leave the area immediately if you spot a carcass along the trail, and report the location to the warden office as soon as possible.

Parks is always concerned about abandoned elk calves, but Bradford warns that appearances may be deceiving. Cow elk often leave older calves for substantial periods of time in a well-protected spot while they feed and regain strength to continue nursing their young. A lone calf is not necessarily an abandoned calf. Bradford recommends waiting for at least 24 hours and double checking the situation before reporting such an occurance, and does not recommend handling a young elk under any circumstances.