Looks like they’re having fun.
You gotta love to see animals having a good time. Especially wild animals because they have it a bit harder than domesticated do.
Elk are out there braving the elements, constantly searching for food and always looking over their shoulder for something coming to eat them. It’s bit more tough than a horse in a pen that gets fed daily.
Elk are members of the deer family and are known for their distinctive antlers, which are shed and regrown each year. Cow elk or females weigh in up to 550 pounds and stand 5 feet tall at the shoulder. Elk are also prized game animal, known for their tasty meat.
Horses are similar in look, but a very different animal. They are used for transportation, recreation, and work and they have a long history of domestication that dates back thousands of years. Horses come in a variety of sizes with the average adult horse weighing between 500 and 1,100 pounds.
Elk and horse interactions are not very common, but they do happen.
Elk are likely to move in areas horses are in search of food. Horses are generally tolerant of other animals so this makes elk more comfortable to move in as well.
This cow elk is seen approaching a horse that is behind a fence. The two stare face-to-face as a whole herd of elk is in the background. The horse swings its ball on rope around as if it wants to play.
The horse gets its hoofs going and tries to entice the elk to have some fun. The elk accepts and the two almost seem happy as the playful jump and nod their heads as the horse chews on its ball.
The horse ends up actually throwing the ball over the fence to the elk, who gets excited but has no clue what to do with the foreign object. The two run back and forth before their playtime ends.
What a hilarious interaction.
These animals’ playful side is one of my favorite sides of them.
