Young Elk Shows Off Fancy Footwork, Does Sidestep on Trail Cam
Rebecca West
Still images or footage of wildlife captured on film proves that animals in nature can be every bit as cute and playful as domestic pets. And now, with the abundance of trail cams and drones in use, we're getting to see just how magnificent these creatures are almost daily.
Take a young elk caught on camera in Canada's Yukon Territory back in September. The video, courtesy of a trail cam owned by Yukon Wildlife Cams, depicts the frisky youngster doing a sort of hopping sidestep into the frame and then some more fancy footwork that would make Dancing with the Stars' contestants envious. The encounter only lasts 11 seconds, but the elk is so exuberant and jubilant and having so much fun bounding around that you'll want to watch it more than once.
Yukon Wildlife Cams
David Troup, who maintains several cameras in the area and regularly posts the results to Facebook, wrote "If you're outgoing and gregarious, learn how to make an entrance like this and you'll be the life of every party." His cameras, which showcase wildlife in remote locations of the Yukon, generally pertain to the natural beauty in that part of North America and the animals that inhabit it.
Troup has made references in the past to the behavior of critters in the wild and the fact that they sometimes detect the cameras — either by sight, sound, or smell — and will react accordingly.
Wapiti
Elk, or wapiti, are one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in their native range of North America and Central and East Asia. They roam in forest and forest-edge habitats, feeding on grasses, plants, leaves, and bark. Males can weigh more than 1,000 pounds when fully grown. Calves are born spotted and are able to walk within an hour of birth but spend much of the first week to 10 days bedded down near mom. Soon afterward, they begin grazing with their mothers and join the herd with other cows and calves by the end of the second week.
Watch the video!
