ESTES PARK, Colo. — An 8-year-old girl had to go to a hospital after a cow elk attacked her in Estes Park, according to a release from Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW).
CPW said it is now investigating the attack, which took place at around 1 p.m. Thursday. The girl's family members told the agency that she was riding her bike in an Estes Park neighborhood when the female elk started chasing her from about 60 yards away.
The elk eventually caught up to the girl and stomped on her "multiple times," CPW said. She was reportedly taken to a nearby hospital to get treated for her injuries and was released later that day.
CPW said the officer who responded to the attack found a cow elk and a young calf in the area where the incident occurred, and the elk was acting aggressively. A non-lethal bean bag round was fired at the elk to dissipate its aggressive behavior toward the officer, according to CPW.
A spokesperson for the agency said no injuries were observed on the elk after the bean bag round was fired. On Friday, the responding officer took the newborn calf to the CPW Health Lab, where veterinarians and wildlife specialists will look after it.
Kara Van Hoose, a spokesperson for CPW, said the health lab requested the calf. The lab will care for the calf and study it to better understand the species, Van Hoose said.
CPW officers did not euthanize the cow elk, Van Hoose added.
CPW said that cow elk can become aggressive toward people and pets to protect their calves from any perceived threats during calving season, which lasts from late spring through early summer in Colorado. Conflicts with cow elk and cow moose are common when they have their calves nearby, especially when their young can't stand on their own, according to the agency.
“While it is a natural reaction for cow elk to be very defensive during calving season, it is not often they hurt someone, especially a child," said CPW Area Wildlife Manager Jason Duetsch in the release. "We’re happy the girl is recovering from her injuries and wish her continued healing.”
The agency said officers will haze cow elk in the area as needed to mitigate any conflicts with neighbors, and that signs that warn of aggressive elk behavior were placed in the area.
CPW said young wildlife should always be left alone, and pets should always have a leash on to discourage conflicts with cow elk.
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