Banff visitors reminded to be alert around elk after pair of aggressive encounters

Elk euthanized following aggressive encounters Alesia Fieldberg has reaction following two aggressive incidents involving elk and humans in the Banff townsite.

The elk rutting season will last until the middle of October and wildlife officials are warning people to be cautious around the animals after two separate attacks last month.

On August 23, a bull elk charged a man who was jogging at a Banff recreation area at about 9:00 p.m.

“A male elk came up behind the person and made contact with the antlers,” said Bill Hunt, Resource Conservation Manager for the Banff Field Unit.

The man was able to grab the elk’s antlers and push it away but the animal followed him until he was able to take cover.

A few days later, a woman was charged by an elk several times in a playground area before she managed to escape.

“There was a female that was crouched down in Middle Springs and the elk approached her from the back and made contact. Fortunately she had a pack on so I think the elk basically hit the pack and, again, she was able to get up and get out of the way,” said Hunt.

Both of the people managed to walk away without injuries but both bulls were removed by wildlife officials in the interest of public safety.

“One of them we removed right away, the other one, we were only able to immobilize and collar and so we watched it for a little while and it was right back in town, chasing cows around and doing things in town and so just yesterday the team was able to get in a safe spot where they were able to remove it,” said Hunt.

Parks staff is also watching a third bull that has been acting aggressively and say they cull up to twenty elk in the spring to keep the population manageable in town.

“We work very hard to, year round, to keep elk outside of town. Anytime we have elk in the town there’s a risk of elk having interactions with people,” said Hunt. “It’s a constant struggle for sure.”

Elk rutting season starts at the end of August and lasts until mid-October and people are being advised to never get between a male and the females as a bull can become extremely protective of its harem during mating season.

Tips from Parks Canada on avoiding and dealing with elk encounters:

“Bull elk are very, very focused on breeding. They’re interested in keeping other bulls away and focusing in on the female elk and so it’s really important for visitors to keep back and give elk a lot of room,” added Hunt. “The elk are rubbing their antlers to get the velvet off and get ready for breeding season so anything like Christmas lights or swing sets, anything hanging, we need those taken down this time of year just because there’s a good risk that an elk will get tangled up in that if they’re trying to rub their antlers.”

Officials say this is the first time in a number of years that elk have made physical contact with people inside the town boundaries.

Visitors can report incidents to the Resource Conservation office at 403-762-1470.

For more information on elk rutting season, click HERE.