Runner charged by bull elk at Grand Canyon National Park

[hikeaz]

Grand Canyon News Release

Release date: Immediate

Contact(s): Maureen Oltrogge
Phone number: 928-638-7779
Date: September 20, 2006

Runner charged by bull elk at Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Ariz. – This morning just after 6:00 a.m. a long-time
resident of Grand Canyon National Park, Kim Crumbo, was running on a trail behind the Albright Training Center between Center Road and the Grand Canyon School, when he was charged by a large bull elk. The male
runner saw the elk, noticed it was rubbing it's antlers on a tree and acting aggressively. He took evasive action and ran off trail into the woods around the elk. The elk however, pursued him and knocked him down. The runner was able to get away and flagged down a passerby who called for assistance. The runner suffered scrapes and bruises along with an ankle injury and was transported by ground ambulance to the Flagstaff Medical Center, in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Wildlife Biologists and Park Rangers will spend the next several
days in the area where the incident occurred and will attempt to
move the elk out of the area using aversive conditioning.

Although encounters with bull elk have not been common in Grand
Canyon National Park, Park Rangers are reminding residents and park
visitors that it is rutting season, for deer and elk. During this
period, generally September/October, these animals become
increasingly aggressive. They may become angered at any intrusion
into their territory. Elk, which can weigh as much as 1000 pounds,
have been known to injure or kill people who approach them.

Park Rangers provide the following recommendations to help avoid
human/wildlife interactions:
ü Do not approach, feed or follow wildlife.
ü Do not let deer or elk approach you.
ü When you see deer or elk avoid entering their territory, turn
around
and find an alternate route to your destination.
ü If an animal exhibits threatening behavior (ground stomping,
snorting, or charging), flee immediately.
ü Keep children close at hand when wildlife is present.

It is also dangerous, and illegal, to feed wild animals in a
national park.
Wildlife can become dependent upon handouts and lose their ability
to hunt and forage. Such animals lose their fear of humans. They
can become aggressive and bite, kick, or gore.
-NPS-

[Davis2001r6]

That time of year again, watch out on the roads now too.