Elk

Cervus canadensis

Notes:

We had an interesting visitor today (Christmas)...this bull Elk was grazing below our house in a residential neighborhood in the foothills west of Denver, and had what looked to be a hammock tangled in his antlers. Although his nose looks covered in several of the photos, he seemed to be fine and healthy. With as badly as they are tangled, I believe he is stuck with the hammock until his antlers fall off...hopefully he'll be OK! Poor guy!

Species ID Suggestions

14 Comments

ChristyHolland 10 years ago

I agree Doreen...He'll just have a fancy hat until they do! ;-)

doreen.chambers.14 10 years ago

What a drag. Poor guy. Thank goodness they drop the antlers.

ChristyHolland 10 years ago

That would be quite the sight, Arya! ;-)

Arya 10 years ago

Good to hear. Hope the next time you see him with camera in hand, and a racoon is lounging above his antlers!

gatorfellows 10 years ago

Thanks for the follow up note :)

ChristyHolland 10 years ago

Update: I did see this guy again...just in passing...no photo opportunity...he was laying on the ground in the middle of a whole herd of elk, chewing his cud! The hammock seemed to be up higher on his antlers and didn't seem to be doing any damage! ;-)

ChristyHolland 10 years ago

Thanks for the concern, everyone! I did contact our Parks & Wildlife division and they said there's nothing they can do but be aware of it...he will pass the info on to the rangers. He said if the elk was in any danger of starving or injured somehow, they would try to do something. But with the antlers coming off in the next month or two, he'll probably be fine. Like I mentioned, he was able to graze, so unless he gets hooked onto something else, nothing can be done right now.