Posted by John De Bord on July 30, 2008 at 5:27 AM
My friend just posted this journal over on deviantARt from when he was out shooting up along Trailridge yesterday. Ya know, I see images like this and I just cringe. Unfortunently it also seems to be happening more and more...... http://nzeman.deviantart.com/journal/19672654/
I was up there last Saturday and I saw all the people trouncing about the tundra getting right up on entire herds of elk -- I just shook my head and hoped some poor kid didn't get a hoof in the head because his/her parents are dumb. Luckily, the elk didn't seem to be in too much distress, but it just takes one person to get too close....
Posted by Bill Pelzmann on July 30, 2008 at 11:33 AM
That's definitely too close. Hope he doesn't try that in the Fall.
I'm sure people have been hurt by elk in RMNP, but I don't recall hearing any news reports.
Have any of you seen statistics on how severe the problem is?
Posted by Todd Caudle on July 30, 2008 at 11:44 AM
Posted by Mark Stahlke on July 30, 2008 at 12:42 PM
John great post!!! People are crazy....they under-estimate animals. Once that elk gets up and turn against them do you think they have time to pick up that child and run? Once my car was ran over by an elk and I thought I was hit by a train! great post!! regards, Rajeev.
Great Post! I also agree that tourists in the park are crazy. Last year I was up in the park right before rut, the last of the velvet was coming off these two bull's antlers who were laying by the side of the road over near the turn off to Hidden Valley.
Of course there were dozens of people lined up taking pictures. While I was there I got a pic of a 12-14 year old girl walking down to the elk with her cellphone camera. When I snapped the picture the girl couldn't have been more than 30' away from this bull.
Of course the family is standing by watching their daughter. Its not a great picture but it shows the lack of education many visitors to the park have.
Add these geniuses to the list - camping in a wildflower meadow in American Basin. I confronted one of them and he wouldn't even look up. By the next morning, it looked like a freakin' parking lot! I'm planning to send the image to the USFS and ask for some signage.
There's so much info on low-impact camping out there that i doubt ignorance is an issue here Dave, this strikes me as purposeful vandalism--criminal IMO. They would ignore the signage. I'd then lock them up.
or shoot them (and not with a camera LOL) Stan, dumb idiots.
Peoples stupidity has no bounds and so there is no surprise as to there being animal attacks, No animal just simply attacks, they are provoked by careless and stupid people every time
I was up at Rocky early the other day and some guy was sleeping in the middle (literally) of Horseshoe Park, which just surprised me a little. Then the tourists were shooting pics out of their car windows while driving and looking at their LCD displays with their sunglasses on in bright sun etc etc. You can see just about anything up there.
Posted by Dan Walters on August 2, 2008 at 9:09 AM
Great post. That is why I like to head up there very early in the morning. By the time most people head into the park, I am done shooting.
Discussion
11 replieshttp://nzeman.deviantart.com/journal/19672654/
I'm sure people have been hurt by elk in RMNP, but I don't recall hearing any news reports.
Have any of you seen statistics on how severe the problem is?
Of course there were dozens of people lined up taking pictures. While I was there I got a pic of a 12-14 year old girl walking down to the elk with her cellphone camera. When I snapped the picture the girl couldn't have been more than 30' away from this bull.
http://picasaweb.google.com/dionysis/TrailRidge2007/photo#5098022997439564370
Of course the family is standing by watching their daughter. Its not a great picture but it shows the lack of education many visitors to the park have.
Peoples stupidity has no bounds and so there is no surprise as to there being animal attacks, No animal just simply attacks, they are provoked by careless and stupid people every time