Elk were involved in nearly two-thirds of aggressive wildlife encounters, according to a new study of 25 Canadian national parks.
Researchers analyzed Parks Canada data collected from 2010 to 2023 on aggressive wildlife encounters and what people were doing when they occurred. The study found confrontations happened most often when people were doing quiet, everyday activities like hiking, wildlife watching, sightseeing and strolling in town.
Five animals were examined in the study: elk, mule deer, coyotes, grizzlies and black bears.
Elk were involved with more than 60 per cent of the nearly 3,000 aggressive encounters. They were involved in more than half of the encounters during adventure sports like mountain biking and 80 per cent of encounters at campsites. Elk were also involved in more encounters in town than any other animal.
Study author Shashank Balakrishna says the findings show people don’t always recognize which animals can be dangerous.
“Elk are herbivores, and so people tend to believe they aren’t as aggressive as a grizzly bear. The results show people are underestimating the power of large herbivores,
