Aggressive Elk Attacks Women In Estes Park While The Men Run Away
Let me preface this by saying that this was from an incident in 2019. But if you're like me and you've never heard about or seen this story, it's pretty crazy. As much as I'd like to say I would not have run (or briskly walked) in the opposite direction as well, I can't 100% say for certain I wouldn't have done the same thing as these guys.
I mean think about it. Once one of these bull elks makes up its mind that you're a threat and they start attacking, there's not a whole lot that you can do to stop it. So then the question comes: do you REALLY want them coming at you or in your direction? I say no.
Call me a chicken, call me a no-good yellow belly, spineless man, but I think I'd rather be spineless than suffer a fractured spine at the hooves or antlers of one of these things.
Thankfully, nobody was seriously injured in this attack. While I kinda feel bad for thinking I probably would have done the same thing as these guys that were running away, if a big elk like that comes charging, I don't think I'm going to try and play the hero.
Now, according to Downtoearhhomesteaders.com, the four main things you should do if an elk attacks is:
- Back up. Make sure you get behind the nearest tree, fence, or building that can act as a strong barrier between you and the elk.
- Run. If the elk charges you, run! ...
- Curl up in a ball. If an elk knocks you to the ground, curl up into a ball and cover your head with your arms. ...
- Don't get up.
I don't see ANYTHING in there about running TOWARD the elk and pissing it off even more. As much as we can be tempted to call these guys out for running, they made the smart choice.
How would YOU have handled that situation?