1 min readWhen you’re sharing trails with wildlife, keeping your distance from any creatures you come across is the key to survival. A runner in Colorado learned that lesson this weekend when he passed too close to an elk, and the female, perceiving a threat, chased after him.
In a video posted by Colorado Parks and Wildlife Services, you can see the runner heading down a dirt path. The elk is on the road beside the trail and chases the man as he runs past.
While the elk backed off and stopped pursuing the man after a few seconds, the Colorado team warned against underestimating these creatures. “Mammas are strong & will protect their lil' ones Wildlife are protecting & raising their young. Moose, deer and elk with newborn calves and fawns can become aggressive to defend them,” they wrote on Twitter.
They offered their simple recommendation for avoiding contact with protective mothers. “What can you do? “It’s simple, GIVE THEM SPACE & LEAVE YOUNG WILDLIFE ALONE,” they wrote.
The all-caps seem necessary in this case: About 47,000 people in the U.S. seek medical attention for wildlife attacks each year, and about eight end up dead. It’s worth heeding this warning as you head out into nature this summer.
Kells McPhillips is a health and wellness journalist living in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared in Runner's World, The New York Times, Well+Good, Fortune, Shape, and others.
