Today’s Fun Friday post comes from a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado) a couple of years ago. It’s really quite amazing what you can catch with a camera if you closely watch your subject’s behaviors and are ready for that momentary “goofiness”. This young bull elk (Cervus elaphus) looks as if he has only one ear, pointing straight out to the right. But moments before this image was made, he had both ears in an upright position … then, without warning, laid his left ear straight back against his head for a brief moment. Kinda looks like a right-turn signal indicator, doesn’t it! :o)
I’m looking forward to getting more elk images in the future. Elk in Missouri were wiped out some time ago. Over the past few years, Missouri’s Department of Conservation (MCD) has been planning on re-introducing elk to Missouri. Those years of planning have finally panned out … earlier this year, 34 elk were captured in Kentucky and, after a long and complete screening for disease, were first placed in an enclosed pen for acclimation, then set free in the 23,000 acres of the Peck Ranch Conservation Area, located in southeast Missouri. By the time the elk were released, 5 calves had been born, with more births expected after the release.
The elk are expected to remain on the Peck Ranch for a while, then slowly spread out over the 221,500 acre elk restoration zone. I have not been down to look for the elk yet … looking for a handful of elk over 23,000 acres is kinda like looking for a needle in a haystack! But I do look forward to watching the elk population growing in our state again!
Monday’s post will include some more images made of the fascinating totems at Kasaan Village, Alaska.
