Updated

Updated · Fox News · Nov 11

Missouri's 546-Acre Lone Elk Park Closes Indefinitely as Young Bull Elk Attacks Cars

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Nov 11

Missouri's 546-Acre Lone Elk Park Closes Indefinitely as Young Bull Elk Attacks Cars

Q: What specific behavioral changes must this territorial bull elk demonstrate before officials deem the Missouri wildlife park safe again?

Officials are waiting for the bull elk to show a clear drop in rut-driven aggression before reopening Lone Elk Park. In practical terms, that means he must stop charging or ramming vehicles, become less intensely protective of the female herd, and behave in a calmer, more settled way around traffic and visitors. The reporting does not point to a formal numeric threshold or written checklist. Instead, county parks staff said they are monitoring him daily and expect reopening only when his behavior becomes “less intense,” when he “settles down,” or when he “calms down.” Officials also tied that change to the end of mating season, when elevated territorial behavior typically fades. The evidence suggests they are looking for the bull to return from anxious, excited, dominant-rut behavior to the kind of routine conduct more experienced herd bulls display—remaining alert but no longer reacting to nearby cars with aggressive advances. Until that happens, the park remains closed out of concern for visitors, vehicles, and the elk itself.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Nov 11

Lone Elk Park outside St. Louis shut on Monday after a bull elk repeatedly rammed visitors' vehicles, prompting officials to cite a safety risk and close the drive-through park indefinitely.
Eric Johnson, acting director of St. Louis County Parks and Recreation, said the animal is a newly dominant herd bull in his first mating season, making him unusually aggressive during the annual rut.
One visitor, Theresa Hammer, told St. Louis Public Radio the elk hit her Ford Fusion with its antlers last week, scratching the side, hood and rear quarter panel.
Officials had already warned visitors to keep their distance, but said people were not always complying; the county is now monitoring the bull daily and hopes to reopen within several days.
Johnson said it has been about 10 years since the park's 32-year veteran staff dealt with a bull this worked up, underscoring how exceptional the behavior is even during rutting season.