Angry Elk Attack

Charged by Murderous Elk

                   

          At the Charles Towne Landing Animal Forest, where I worked, it was hot with some deer flies, but I’ll never forget that day! It ws feeding time, so I drove the tractor and utility cart into the Elk Habitat with grain, a daily mission.During the rutting, or breeding season, the elk could be dangerous. I made sure I kept a close eye on the two elk in the habitat. Being in rut makes some animals act bizarre. They will damage your body seriously or, at worst some could be killed. An elk is taller than an average horse with long and strong legs he kept stomping. They usually ignore me at feeding time. The elk usually waited until I was gone to eat their grain.

              When I heard that, “Nit, nit, nit,” sound, I knew his tongue stuck out of his mouth  performing other rutting rituals. I gave the bull elk a glance and made sure both elk kept a safe distance. I poured the fifty pound sack of feed in the hollow log, which makes the habitat look natural. I climbed back up on the tractor and, “oh no,” the tractor didn't move. The wheels were hung up on the log and I couldn’t pull or push it out because of my petite size. In the meantime, something felt disturbing! I felt something that chilled my bones. The bull elk spied me and I felt trapped. I didn’t think he planned to be any help with the tractor.

         The two elk were close enough to cause some worry. Looking over, the bull stomped his feet and he had long legs with razor sharp hooves. Apprehensive,I glanced at the far away gate. He seemed to regard me as a rival! When I made a move, he decided for me to  be put out of commission! That could be impalement, disemboweling, skewered, stomped, and God knows what else! Now, terrifed, I kept my wits about me if I planned to survive.

         The gate looked, or seemed  far away. I figured I had a fifty-fifty chance to escape alive and hopefully, uninjured. Time seemed frozen. As I ducked and dodged, I almost felt his hot breath behind me as he bellowed! I took a quick peek, my gut lurched. I may not make it to the gate, open it and shut it afterwards! “Please don’t let me die like this,” I pleaded. I knew I had to take action, not God. He just gave me the strength I needed.

         In a nanosecond, my mind rapidly went over how to escape and live! Oh! I remembered the pipe! We kept them in strategic locations for safety because a lot of our large animals and predators could be dangerous. Thankfully, someone left a pipe for me by the gate. Being nonviolent, I decided to make a break and run. Instead of just threatening the buck, it would make the situation worse, my anger came to the surface. I figured that may buy me some more time because he stopped and genuinely looked surprised.

         “Now you're gonna get it!” I had the heavy pipe, choked down about a third of the way up on the bottom. Already in a full charge, his head down, and antlers aimed at my chest I ran to the gate as fast as I could. I called him some choice words right as I smacked him right between his rutty blood red eyes. He backed up, pawing the ground, throwing clods of earth on his wide back. Can he be stopped?

         This time, I think he got the message. I hit him so hard, blood dripped down on his face, he couldn’t see anything! “Gotta go!” I yelled as I opened the gate, ran through and clipped the padlock. The big elk just shook off the dirt and walked away as if to say, " Oh well. I sure did chase that one away. In his world, in the wild, he behaved as any bull elk would to protect his habitat.

                Still angry, but also relieved and shaky, I sat down on the safe ground for a minute. I didn’t feel brave for saving my own life. I felt guilty for going into the habitat alone during rut.  In the habit of feeding them alone,  the tractor made it faster and easier to drive to the feeding area.  I made a mistake. Or should  I say, “Again.” Working with native wildlife is not like training horses or rustling cows. Wild animals have something deep inside that can come out at any time. I’ve seen Billy, the baby buffalo, running like the wind in his small paddock, swapping ends without missing a beat. Everyone shoud be extra carefull around wild animals or "tame" wild animals. These animals, unpredicable, can seriously hurt or kill someone.