Beware The Elk

You might think that you are most likely to be attacked by bears when in the woods, but according to this article, "The animal behind most aggressive wildlife encounters may surprise you," elk may pose more of a danger. It notes that "[o]ut of nearly 3,000 wildlife incidents in Canadian national parks, more than half involved an elk, researchers report July 2 in Frontiers in Conservation Science." 

    Landles and Balakrishna analyzed 2,878 aggressive wildlife incidents from 2010 to 2023 involving five animals: black bears, grizzly bears, elk, coyotes and mule deer. Aggressive behaviors included chasing, attacking or bluffing a charge. The analysis identified which animal–human activity combinations were especially risky. 

    Elk topped the list, involved in 62 percent of all the incidents. One of the riskiest combos was elk and camping — the animals turned up in 84 percent of campground incidents. This may be because Canada’s peak camping season aligns with when the animals mate and give birth — times of heightened aggression for the species.  

    “Elk are herbivorous herd animals that don’t immediately inspire fear like a carnivore does,” Balakrishna says. Visitors may underestimate how aggressive they can be.    

Grizzly bears and black bears accounted for 14 percent and 13 percent of the total, respectively.