Video, Elk's Sparring With Photographer Caught on Tape. (Gatlinburg: appointed, 2013)

[JD59]

A North Carolina photographer dove headfirst, literally, into his assignment when he came face-to-face with an elk.

James York was photographing elk at sunrise in the Cataloochee Valley of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Gatlinburg, Tenn., when one of the elk on which he had his lens focused approached him.

Elk's Sparring With Photographer Caught on Tape | ABC News Blogs - Yahoo

[danielj72]

That is an amazing video. That animal could really hurt or even kill him, but he is being so gentle. Is it just play or curiosity??? I would love to know. I know they act kinda weird during the rut, just like deer do.

[Beretta]

It's mating season and they think that the Elk thought he was competition. The local news station interviewed the photographer as well as the videographer.

Photographer has close encounter with young elk

[MetropolitanTN]

Elk euthanized after close-up encounter with photographer

This decision makes me so angry. The Elk had to die because this ignorant man couldnt stay in his vehicle. Too bad the Elk didnt get more aggressive.

[Beretta]

Originally Posted by ETSUAccountingGuy

Elk euthanized after close-up encounter with photographer

This decision makes me so angry. The Elk had to die because this ignorant man couldnt stay in his vehicle. Too bad the Elk didnt get more aggressive.

Didn't stay in his vehicle? I don't think you have all of the facts.

The decision to euthanize is very unfortunate. I can't believe that some other habitat couldn't be worked out for the Elk.

[NJDevil]

I can't believe they killed the elk....I am absolutely shocked. It did not hurt anyone, it was just being an elk. The photographer did nothing wrong, but neither did the elk. Shameful. I have definitely lost some respect for park officials. Thank you for posting that 2nd link....the photographer had the right reaction....poor guy has to live with this guilt.

[J&Em]

While I feel bad for the outcome and I am sure the photographer does, too, but the park personnel are tasked with keeping everyone safe. An elk bull in rut without any fear of humans is going to gore the next unsuspecting park visitor who stops to take its picture or feed it. Normal healthy elk do not want to be close to humans and have a distinct fear of them and this was already exceptional. Vilifying the people who have to make the decision based on the video where it seems harmless is not very helpful. They are tasked with keeping the animals safe from humans and the other way around, too.

The local scuttlebutt indicated that, not only was the Elk not afraid of the photographer, it kept coming back to the road to be fed by others who did not stay in their cars and may have already been getting handouts in the days prior to appearing in the video. Going into rut, with strong hormonal changes occurring in the elk, it would be increasingly combative. It was only a matter of time before something bad happened. So many people come here to see the animals and a large enough group of them just don't seem to get that these are wild animals capable of killing and act as if they are in a giant petting zoo.

Relocation is not always an option with animals like the elk. Many small game sanctuaries are set up for orphaned and hurt animals, many times only until they can be safely released. They aren't set up to permanently house full grown elk going into rut. The main elk population of the Smokies is right there in that valley area, there is no other place within the park to release the elk safely to be among its own kind and away from human contact.

[Beretta]

One of our friends that attends the hockey games and has seats near us actually works in the Park Service. We had a good conversation about this. Bottom line is that it comes down to timing and funding. The romantic in me wants to ship the elk out west where it can roam free. They needed to act quickly and did what they thought was best with input from many qualified people. That surely doesn't mean that we can't have our regrets and opinions. I am disappointed that it came to this but I certainly don't fault anyone. It just is what it is. Hindsight is 20/20. And armchair quarterbacking will always occur but never change the game.

[Beretta]

Updated news story: Smokies officials respond to concerns over euthanized elk

[Barking Spider]

Thanks for posting the update.
Same armchair quarterbacking comes when an officer is forced to shoot someone, and you hear comments like, "Why couldn't they just shoot the gun out of his hand?".

It is a shame the elk had to be put down, but part of the blame lies with the idiots that feed them (and bears) like they are at the zoo.