Stuck in a Rut 
2003 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance
I once lived out west in Banff Alberta. Banff is a unique town in that it is a national park, which means certain laws concerning the wildlife in the area must be obeyed. Although not much of a problem for most locals or tourists, these laws create the unique situation of elk strolling the streets and sidewalks at free will.
These elk are quite used to the people. However, around a certain time of year the elk start their rutting season, and warnings directed towards tourists pop up everywhere - and for good reason.
I once heard of a Japanese tourist who was out on the 4th green of the golf course of the Banff Springs Hotel taking pictures of the dozens of elk that were lounging around there. Unfortunately for this guy the elk took notice of him and, since it was during their rutting season and they were in a frisky mood, the elk circled him. The tourist was eventually backed into a corner next to a tree where the elk pummeled him for some time. The man eventually got away. But, not being the brightest person, decided to go back when he noticed that he had dropped his camera. The elk were completely obliged to give him a second pummeling.
I think that he survived, but his level of stupidity must be recogized.
Reference: www.digitalbanff.com/banff/news/1999/1148.html
September 20, 1999
Source: Forbes
By Chana Schoenberger
An unusual hazard looms on the world-famous Banff Springs Golf Course:
elk. About 500 of the antlered beasts live on the storied 27-hole course in
Canada's Banff National Park in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. They sleep on
the fairways, graze on the driving range and leave droppings all across the
greens. The elk infestation is causing big problems for the ritzy Banff
Springs Hotel, which is part of Canadian Pacific's CP Hotels
chain. Cleaning up after elk on the golf course costs the hotel $90,000 a
year. And the furry intruders can break the concentration of the 7,000
golfers who flock to Banff each month, paying $100 per round.
Submitted on 01/13/2003
Submitted by:
Justin Wright
Reference:
Copyright © 2002 DarwinAwards.com
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