Elk in viral video killed after butting heads with photographer
- 9 years ago
The young male elk made famous in a YouTube video that went viral last month was euthanized on Friday after national park rangers decided there was no other way to cure its human-friendly ways.
Photographer James York was going along a Cataloochee Valley trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park early on October 20. He was sitting at the edge of a field taking photographs when the buck in question expressed interest in his camera. Soon, the pair were butting heads.
The video that went viral, shot by another photographer, Vince M. Camiolo, lasts seven minutes and shows York eventually getting whisked away from the head-butting by a park ranger. Neither York nor the animal was hurt during the incident.
After the video went public, rangers attempted to train the elk to be afraid of humans by putting it through a hazing, which involved setting off firecrackers, and shooting bean bags near the creature. In the end, however, it was deemed that elk was beyond hope and they decided the best course of action was to euthanize it.
According to reports, York said he was saddened by the elk's unfortunate end, remarking he had hoped to have been able to watch the creature grow up.
Rangers said that it was not the incident with York which prompted the decision to end the young elk's life; they said there were previous similar events wherein the elk proved too friendly with human visitors to the park. They also said sending the animal to a zoo or reserve was also not an option, as such a move would not aid the elk in unlearning his bad habits. Officials also said it was too risky to attempt a relocation, since the young buck had demonstrated dangerous behavior that might have resulted in human injury or death.
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Photographer James York was going along a Cataloochee Valley trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park early on October 20. He was sitting at the edge of a field taking photographs when the buck in question expressed interest in his camera. Soon, the pair were butting heads.
The video that went viral, shot by another photographer, Vince M. Camiolo, lasts seven minutes and shows York eventually getting whisked away from the head-butting by a park ranger. Neither York nor the animal was hurt during the incident.
After the video went public, rangers attempted to train the elk to be afraid of humans by putting it through a hazing, which involved setting off firecrackers, and shooting bean bags near the creature. In the end, however, it was deemed that elk was beyond hope and they decided the best course of action was to euthanize it.
According to reports, York said he was saddened by the elk's unfortunate end, remarking he had hoped to have been able to watch the creature grow up.
Rangers said that it was not the incident with York which prompted the decision to end the young elk's life; they said there were previous similar events wherein the elk proved too friendly with human visitors to the park. They also said sending the animal to a zoo or reserve was also not an option, as such a move would not aid the elk in unlearning his bad habits. Officials also said it was too risky to attempt a relocation, since the young buck had demonstrated dangerous behavior that might have resulted in human injury or death.
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TomoNews is your daily source for top animated news. We've combined animation and video footage with a snarky personality to bring you the biggest and best stories from around the world. Check out our offici