A couple had a shock last week when they stumbled across an irritable cow elk at Yellowstone National Park, and were chased right off the trail. Elk often hide their calves in long grass or scrub while they graze to protect them from predators, but are quick to charge anyone who accidentally strays too near.
The National Park Service (NPS) recently issued a warning reminding visitors not to approach or interact with wildlife after several incidents where people inadvertantly harmed wildlife. One man was fined after trying to help a bison calf that had become separated from its mother, which resulted in it being rejected by the herd and eventually euthanized after it started approaching people and cars. Other visitors drove an elk calf to a police station in the mistaken belief it had been abandoned. The calf then ran off into the woods, and its fate is unknown.
