Avid wildlife photographer Rod Young gets to know his subject matters well, especially the bull elk in Prince Albert National Park.
In early October, he noticed one of the bull elk was in distress.
“That particular bull, he had been hanging around there quite a bit, so I had photographed him two or three different times. And on that day he was really hung up with some kind of netting or cargo netting. It might have been somebody’s hammock,” said Young.
He took a couple photos and a short video of the animal and then reported the elk entanglement to Parks Canada staff right away.
“I don’t actually know what it was, but he was really tangled up and pretty stressed out and pretty tired and obviously quite angry and irritated, to say the least,” Young said.
Parks Canada resource conservation staff caught up with the elk on Wilderness Road, where they were able to shoot a tranquilizing agent into the hide of the elk, said acting resource conservation manager Tom Perry.
“Once the elk was down and safe to approach, we were able to cut away the netting and free the elk,” said Perry.
He said the elk was down for about 40 minutes. During that time, staff monitored its heart rate and vital signs. Once he started coming to, they stood back and waited for him to get up and trot away.
Perry said 10 days later, on Oct. 18, parks staff had to rescue another bull elk that was caught in fencing. He said it’s their job as wildlife professionals to be able to respond in crisis situations and prevent them from happening in the future.
“These things can be really stressful for the animal and often result in death to the animal,” Perry said.
He said snow fencing, ropes, netting to cover gardens and trees, trampoline nets and swing sets are some of the materials that pose a risk to wildlife.
“We encourage folks to pick these things up, clean them up, or don’t use them if it’s not necessary,” he said.
Young said he was happy to learn that within a few hours of reporting the elk, the bull was freed from the netting.
“I’ve seen elk tangled up before, but not like that. That’s about as bad as it gets,” Young said.
Perry said the townsite of Waskesiu is a unique place where a herd of 60 to 80 elk often roam the townsite and are frequently spotted grazing in Red Deer campground, the Waskesiu Golf Course, and cabin owner’s lawns.
“Wildlife are part of this landscape. They’re a part of Waskesiu,” Perry said. “We remind folks that we share this space and [animals] are part of this broader community.”
He said people have to learn to coexist with wildlife and give them their space. He recommends keeping 30 metres or three bus lengths away from wild animals, including elk.
He added that elk are just at the tail end of the mating season that typically runs from Sept. 1-30.
“In the fall time, bull elk can be quite aggressive and they can be dangerous.… They want to keep everything away from their females,” Perry said.
He said Parks Canada encourages wildlife viewing and photography but recommends people don’t approach wildlife.
