YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK – The second visitor in three days has been injured in an accidental encounter with a cow elk.
Penny Allyson Behr, 53 from Cypress, Texas was as attacked by a cow elk in an accidental encounter behind the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel on the morning of Tuesday, June 5.
Behr was walking between two cabins when she was surprised by an elk bedded along the cabin wall with a calf nearby. She attempted to back away but the elk pursued and struck her with its legs in the head and torso. Behr was taken by ambulance to Livingston Memorial Hospital.
It’s very common for cow elk to aggressively defend newborn calves and hide them near buildings and cars. Yellowstone Park Public Affairs office says be extra cautious anywhere elk and calves are present: approach blind corners slowly and maintain a safe distance (at least 25 yards).
It’s not known if this was the same elk involved in the incident on June 3.
