Don’t go chasing waterfalls.
I’m not exactly sure what that means, but it seems like solid advice. Plus, it comes from the same band that brought us the legendary jam “No Scrubs,” and if there has been better advice brought forth via song, I don’t think I’ve heard it.
However for this elk, perhaps the song should read a little more like, “don’t go tumbling to your death down massive waterfalls.”
This particular elk should have stuck to the rivers and lakes that it was used too, but instead it tried to cross a slippery precipice coated in fast moving water and it wound up tumbling to its demise.
A hunter was able to capture the whole ordeal on video while out hunting in the back country of New Zealand.
The footage opens with a bull elk successfully navigating his way across the waterfall as the hunter makes some noise to imitate another bull ready to spare over potential mates, the deer equivalent of hanging out the passengers side of your best friends ride and trying to holler at a shawty.
Despite a few slips, falls, bumps, and bruises, the first elk appears to be in good health. Unfortunately the second wapiti that comes flying into the picture while accidentally cascading down the waterfall did not survive the tumble.
Now you might be asking yourself, how the hell did those elk get to the South Pacific anyways? Well Teddy Roosevelt sent them there, that’s how.
Of all the species of deer in New Zealand, none is more revered than the mighty elk. Commonly referred to as wapiti, the Native American term for the species, elk from the Jackson Hole Elk Refuge in Wyoming were gifted to the Kiwis by President Roosevelt in 1905 and they’ve been present in the Land of The Long White Cloud ever since.
They remain at the top of many New Zealand hunters bucket lists. However, hybridization and competition with red deer have created challenges for managing the species into the future.
While pretty horrifying this video also serves as a reminder that nature is BRUTAL.
Hunters, starvation, predators, disease… even a misstep down a damn waterfall, survival is HARD in the wild.
Here’s the explanation from the man who captured the video:
Grizzly Stalks Mountain Goats At Glacier National Park
Talk about a wild hike.
Everyone hopes to see some nice views, maybe an animal encounter of sorts from afar, but a big ol’ grizzly barreling down the trail right at you? Not what you signed up for…
What if it decides you’re gonna be its dinner instead? I mean, honestly, the mountain goats have a MUCH better chance at getting away.
This is just amazing though.
The video, from Glacier National in Montana, starts showing some goats running on the trail with more people in the distance on the other side of them. One of the goats is coming right for the man filming.
Then out of nowhere comes a hungry grizzly trying to catch itself some lunch. Needless to say, this explains why the goats we’re running like something was chasing them.
Now the man filming is panicked too.
As the camera views shakes around in the panic heavy breathing is heard as the grizzly runs on by, ignoring the hikers to the chase the goats.
A little bit more an adrenaline rush than they bargained for, eh?
The video steadies out as the bear continues to chase the goats that are now in the distance.
The clip is amazing, the background is picture perfect and it showcases just how quick and amazing both mountain goats and grizzly bears are.
The goats are out here living on mountain side being chased by grizzlies. The grizzlies out here chasing around goats that lives on mountain sides to survive. It’s a pretty crazy world out there.
And it’s great that these national parks have such an abundance of wildlife and tourists to capture these crazy moments.
“While hiking the Hidden Lake Overlook Trail in Glacier National Park, I watched a grizzly bear charge after mountain goats.
The bear and goats came right onto the well-traveled trail, frightening the hikers who were a few feet from the action.
The bear and the goats eventually left the trail and headed down the mountain.”
Young Elk Runs From Wolf And A Grizzly Bear In Banff National Park
It’s hard out here for an elk…
Even in a National Park like Banff, where wildlife is so abundant, it’s not every day that you’re gonna witness an animal encounter like this.
On top of that, to catch it all on video… even crazier.
It might not be the best quality, and our dude is no Steven Spielberg, but amazing none the less.
It starts with a shaking video as you notice something on shore on the far side of the river. It ends up being a wolf chasing a calf elk into the river. It must have nipped it because the elk starts crying pretty hard as it gets into the water. Opting to stay dry, the wolf decides not to pursue, and he glances up at the onlookers before retreating back into the woods.
The young elk lives to fight another day…
Not so fast.
Just as you think the elk may have gotten away, here comes the grizzly charging into the water, making its way across the river. It ends up down stream a ways from the elk still fighting its way back to shore.
As the grizzly hits land, it shows you one of the many reasons they are such an incredible animal. In a matter of seconds it ends up right were the elk touched down on shore and chases it back into the water underneath a bridge.
The bikers who are filming are completely in shock and I can’t really blame them. Imagine your morning work out going along enjoying a bike ride in the mountains and you witness a sequence of events like this?
The elk comes out from under the bridge with the bear right on it tail.
“This is the most epic shit ever… This is planet earth.”
Not for the elk…
However, I see no lies here, it is pretty epic. This would be some type of stuff you see on Planet Earth.
As the elk swims down river it gets some distance on the grizzly. Smart move young one, smart move. The elk made it safely to shore, only to find the wolf waiting for him..
Shit…
“At the end of the video the elk gains some distance but ends up on shore with wolf waiting on the train tracks and the grizzly bear eventually catching up.
Not sure exactly who wins but its definitely not the elk.”
Nature can be a cruel, cruel beast.
