Butting Head Elk in Cataloochee Valley Put Down

The famous elk that recently made the news butting heads with the photographer in the Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountains has been put down (euthanized)  because of the animal’s aggressive behoviour. The Great Smoky Mountain National Park website writes “Last Friday park wildlife biologists made the difficult decision to euthanize an elk. The decision to euthanize an animal of any kind in the park is never made lightly”. The website continues by writing “The elk had likely been fed by visitors and had lost his instinctive fear of humans. It associated humans with food and had been approaching visitors seeking handouts.’ For the complete news release by the Park Service please go to http://www.nps.gov/grsm/parknews/elk-response.htm