Cops warn against elk selfies after antler incident

ESTES PARK, Colo. — Elk selfies. Not a good idea.

So say the officials in this mountain town who warn that in the eternal battle of nature vs. iPhone, the antlers have a decided advantage.

The words of caution come after an elk bull tossed a man into the air with its antlers last week when the man got a little too close to the resident elk herd.

The elk herd numbers in the hundreds, and the free-roaming animals draw many tourists to this town just outside Rocky Mountain National Park, where the animals enjoy protected status. Without natural predators in the area, the elk have largely become accustomed to humans' presence but sometimes visitors mistake their generally placid nature for domesticity.

"That's one thing you don't want to do: Put yourself in a selfie with an elk," Estes Park police commander Eric Rose said. "You just don't want to get that close."

It's all fun and games until you're on the wrong side of one of the largest mammals in North America. Even a young bull can weigh more than 500 pounds, and they're built to do battle with other elk for the attention of the females as they prepare to mate. The man antlered this weekend landed in the hospital, and a woman several years ago who came between an elk cow and her calf was seriously injured after a female elk trampled her.

For most visitors, the elk offer an opportunity to get up close and personal with nature. On Monday, thousands of tourists watched as elk lounged on the municipal golf course and munched grass at the town museum. Rose and wildlife officials kept a close eye on both herds to keep animals and humans apart.

"Amazing. I suddenly feel not so significant," said Mjoki White, a nurse from Brooklyn who stopped to watch the herd. "To see this – it just feels like I'm so blessed. I'm really in awe. I'm just a little human."

White said the massive animals looked so cuddly she wanted to walk up and hug one, but thought better of it.

Estes officials usually let the elk wander freely because the animals occupied the surrounding valley long before humans and have congregated there now for their annual mating season. But earlier this summer such a large herd congregated in the town's central park that officers riding Segways had to shepherd them away from tourists.

"Some folks think that we cage them. Some folks think that we have fences for them. And we don't," Rose said. "It's their place just as well as ours."