To quote the great Bob Dylan… this bull elk got “Tangled Up In Blue.” Blue tarp, that is.
This unlikely battle between elk and water-resistant canvas took place in Estes Park, Colorado. It’s estimated that over 280,000 elk live in the “Centennial State,” which is enough to give the state the honor of housing the largest concentrated population of elk in the world. Believe it or not, that many elk bring in tourists from all over the planet, and one of the more popular places they visit is Estes Park, Colorado – which is referred to as the “Elk Capital of the World.”
Safe to say, if you hang around Estes Park and the surrounding Rocky Mountain area, you are bound to see some elk.
And right now, seeing an elk (especially a bull) in person might be a little dangerous. It’s normal for bull elk to be more aggressive and vocal from September to November. They starting “acting up” during that period of time to establish dominance, and in hopes of securing a female mate.
That could explain why this bull elk got into a tussle with a tarp that somehow ended up in its habitat. The large animal might have seen it as a threat, and because we’re currently still in the rut, the male elk probably decided to “take care of” the problem itself. And it’s tough to say who won the fight… did the elk come out victorious by smashing and bashing the blue tarp with its antlers? Or did the woven plastic fabric win by slightly spooking the elk when it started running with the tarp stuck to its rack?
The account that posted the clip – Estes Park RMNP Tours – likened the sight to seeing Superman take off with his cape flowing in the wind. They even overlaid Superman’s theme on the video, and for a moment, the elk really did look like a super hero with the blue tarp flying through the air atop its antlers. The account even used the classic catchphrase for Superman in the caption:
“It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a super elk!”
Yeah… “Super Elk” didn’t last long.
The makeshift cape was quickly retired, and that’s probably for the best. Hopefully someone nearby moved in after the elk cleared the area and retrieved the tarp, just so that it couldn’t pose a risk to any wildlife in the area. Admittedly, the waterproof canvas did provide an entertaining and viral video for the world to enjoy… but animal safety is above all else.
Fortunately, the elk wasn’t injured during its dispute with the tarp. However, it does appear that it managed to spook itself and the rest of the herd that was grazing nearby. Something tells me that if they ever see another tarp laying around, they’ll leave it be.
