Elk at Grand Canyon National Park Getting Too Close for Comfort

The elk that make their homes in the Grand Canyon may be getting a little too close for comfort. The large mammals, once a rare sight in the national park, are now jamming up roads, grazing on hotel lawns and chasing tourists.

Although park officials have warned tourists not to approach wildlife, it's hard to keep that mandate in effect. About five million people visit the park each year, which means that the audience is constantly changing. In addition, the elk are no longer afraid of people. This can lead to dangerous situations during the breeding season when the animals can become aggressive. Already, the elk have broken bones and caused eye injuries.

The elk don't just cause bodily harm, though. A volunteer crew responded to 115 "elk jams" on the roads over only 53 days last year. These jams took anywhere from one minute to two hours to clear up.

Elk are massive animals. The bull elk can weigh around 700 pounds and stand five feet tall at their shoulders. In addition, they have a large set of antlers. Although elk were extinct in the area around 1900, populations brought in by train from Yellowstone National Park helped re-establish the elk. Now, they're thriving--perhaps too well. In other parts of the country, hunting helps control the elk populations. Since the Grand Canyon is a national park, though, hunting is prohibited--as is feeding wildlife. While the hunting doesn't take place, though, the feeding does. Elk are attracted to the rich grass on lawns, and drink water from a treatment facility nearby.

Although elk are magnificent to behold, they can become a real threat to people. Officials hope to encourage locals to plant native vegetation in their yards--similar to what can be found in the park. They hope that this action will discourage the elk from taking a special trip to find grass on lawns.