Massive group of elk races drivers as it dashes along Utah freeway, video shows
UPDATE: Four elk were killed after a group of the animals dashed along Interstate 80 on Feb. 1, officials in Utah said. Drivers fatally struck two elk and wildlife officials had to euthanize two others because they were injured.
The original story is below.
A massive group of elk dashed along a snowy Utah freeway and slowed down drivers as wildlife officers tried to herd them to safety.
The herd of about 60 elk was first spotted Thursday, Jan. 26, near Interstate 80 in Salt Lake City, said Faith Heaton Jolley, a spokesperson for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
“Not an ideal spot for them,” Jolley said.
Then conservation officers began trying to herd the animals away from the freeway along Foothill Drive, she said.
A video shows the animals getting farther from the freeway.
Once officers and biologists helped them onto the road, they navigated them to a trail and back into the mountains, Jolley said.
Jolley said big game animals sometimes migrate into cities looking for food during the winter when the snow falls.
“If you see elk, moose or deer lingering in a neighborhood or trapped on or near a freeway, please call the nearest (wildlife) office so we can relocate them,” she wrote. “Stay safe out there kids, and help us keep wildlife wild.”
This story was originally published January 26, 2023 at 4:27 PM with the headline "Massive group of elk races drivers as it dashes along Utah freeway, video shows."
