This elk herd probably (and morbidly) knows that they don’t have to outrun the wolves, they just have to outrun the slowest elk.
Out in the wild, animals have to keep their head on a swivel. At any moment, a pleasant grazing session could turn into a race of life and death. This herd of elk was enjoying their time out in the open field, but the only downside was that they were sticking out like a sore thumb.
Shortly into the video, you see a number of elk become concerned with something developing over the hillside. Some of the animals continue to snack on the vegetation, though the most observant elk in the herd are readying to sound the alarm for an incoming predator.
Sure enough, what looks like a couple of wolves starts closing in, and you can go ahead and cue up the TikTok song that starts with “RUN” because that’s exactly what the herd had to do. It wasn’t an all-in-unison decision at first, but the stragglers of the group finally got the memo that they needed to “hit the road.”
Elk herds can comprise of around 200 to 400 members, and though this one was on the smaller side, it could still be considered a stampede. The animals stirred up dust as they fled the wolf (or wolves) in hot pursuit. They were likely sprinting at top speed, meaning they were clocking in at around 40 miles per hour. Luckily for the elk, a wolves full throttle speed is around that as well, so it was a fairly even race.
The video cuts off before we can tell how the chase ends up. However, it looked as though the elk had put plenty of room between themselves and the wolf following them. But you can’t ever count out a speedy, aggressive animal like a wolf.
Check it out:
Check out the alternate angle:
