![]() The park says stay at least 75 feet away from elk, but this time of year, when a big bull may take off at a dead run toward you at any time, that may not be nearly enough.Īs Warthin says, “Elk are dangerous this time of year.”Ĭlick here to learn more about elk in Yellowstone National Park, including this overview: A man with a British accent asks how close you can get? Vehicles arrive from other parts of the park with drivers confounded by the congestion and groups of camera laden onlookers. Some park visitors are not even aware of what is happening, walking out of a building into the confusion and shouted warnings. ![]() It seems like chaos as bull elk walk or sometimes run between onlookers and vehicles. The elk are all worked up during the height of their mating season, staking out territory, like one bull seen tearing off branches in a tree just a few feet from a parked tour bus. Rangers are darting all around, warning people back, trying to head off problems. On a typical night in Mammoth at this time of year, crowds of people are trying to get close to the big bull elk. “It’s erratic behavior that visitors should be aware of,” she said. Warthin says people need to keep an eye on what elk are doing. It includes a visitor center, the main park administrative offices, a hotel, restaurant, gift and snack shop, a gas station, post office, medical clinic, law enforcement station, Federal Courthouse and living quarters for park and service employee staff. That’s a problem because elk like to hang out in one of the most popular parts of the park, the Mammoth visitor complex. "The elk rut is dangerous to visitors who are not aware of elk behavior,” said Warthin. They are highly aggressive at this time of year and have been known to charge and injure people, vehicles and other inanimate objects in the park during the rutting season. ![]() But their wrath is taken out on more that just other elk. They will square off in antler battles with other bulls, that can sometimes result in injury. The bulls also fight at this time of year. ![]()
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