Elk Account For Nearly Two-Thirds Of Aggressive Wildlife Encounters In New Study

An elk beside a Bow Valley walking path might look like a reason to stop and take a photo. During mating season, it is a reason to give the animal plenty of room.

A 2026 study of twenty-five Canadian national parks and historic sites found elk accounted for nearly two-thirds of the aggressive wildlife encounters documented between 2010 and 2023.

Researchers recorded 1,803 elk encounters involving aggressive behaviour, more than any other large mammal studied.

“I think people do underestimate them and think they’re just like a big deer,” Nick de Ruyter, WildSmart program director at the Biosphere Institute, told Bow Valley Insider.

That doesn’t mean nearly two-thirds of all encounters with elk became aggressive.

The study looked specifically at incidents already recorded as aggressive, including displays, bluff charges and chases, as well as attacks.

Of the 2,878 incidents involving the five species studied, 47 were attacks that caused human injury or death.

Why elk need more space right now

Simply put, the rut is elk mating season. De Ruyter said bull elk are on high alert and can become aggressive toward people, dogs, cyclists or vehicles that get too close to them or the females they are guarding.

That behaviour was captured recently on video in Banff, where a bull elk was filmed moving among vehicles and making contact with them.

The video, posted to Facebook by Tiffany Adamson Brown, shows the bull approaching vehicles as people watch from nearby.

In a recent advisory, Parks Canada said the season is expected to last until mid-October.

“Don’t get close to them to take a photo and don’t try and sneak past them,” de Ruyter said.

If an elk is on a trail, he recommends waiting or finding another way around.

The research helps explain why that advice applies to ordinary outings.

Walking and hiking fell within the study’s “low impact” activity category, which had the most recorded aggressive encounters across the five species: 704, or 24.5 percent of the total.

Activities in townsites accounted for another 643 encounters, and elk were involved in 73.3 percent of those townsite incidents.

Banff and Jasper national parks together accounted for 80 percent of the aggressive incidents in the dataset.

The study did not count incidents across all of Canmore or the wider Bow Valley.

The numbers also do not tell a person the odds of an aggressive encounter on a particular walk.

The researchers said they lacked consistent information on participation rates, duration and other measures of human exposure, so they could not calculate how risky one activity was for an individual participant.

Still, de Ruyter said people should expect to see elk in the places they use every day, including walking trails, parks and sports fields. Someone heading out for a short walk may be less prepared for wildlife than someone planning a backcountry trip.

A seasonal warning

Parks Canada recommends people stay at least 30 metres from elk, but during the rut, de Ruyter recommends at least 100 metres because bulls can be unpredictable.

His advice goes beyond Parks Canada’s minimum.

He said the warning changes throughout the year. Cow elk can aggressively defend their calves during spring calving season; in fall, people need to take extra care around bulls.

That seasonal pattern could also help shape better signs, de Ruyter said.

A warning should reflect the wildlife present and what people are doing in a particular area.

The researchers recommend tailoring wildlife management to the animals and activities involved in aggressive encounters.

For elk, that means focusing on keeping more distance between people and the animals. These are recommendations from the study, not changes announced by Parks Canada.

If an elk approaches

Parks Canada advises people to watch for elk, detour around them and keep dogs leashed.

If an elk gets too close, Parks Canada recommends raising your arms or holding up a jacket or umbrella to appear larger.

Maintain eye contact, put a tree or large rock between yourself and the elk if possible, and back away slowly.

Do not run, turn your back or play dead.

If you are knocked down, Parks Canada says to get up and move toward cover or use an object to protect yourself.

Incidents in Banff National Park should be reported to Banff Dispatch at 403-762-1470.

In a previous Bow Valley Insider interview, de Ruyter also advised carrying bear spray and using it if an elk continues to charge when there is no cover nearby.

In his more recent interview, he emphasized the step that comes well before any of that:

“Just give them lots of space.”