elk involved – A new study tracking nearly 3,000 aggressive wildlife incidents across Canadian national parks finds elk are involved in more than half of them—far more than bears. The risk shifts depending on what visitors are doing, with elk-and-camping emerging as the most
A bear can loom large in a visitor’s imagination, especially in a national park. But a new study focusing on aggressive wildlife incidents in Canada is shifting where people should place their attention.
Across nearly 3,000 wildlife incidents reported in Canadian national parks, more than half involved an elk, researchers report on July 2 in Frontiers in Conservation Science. The study also finds the threat isn’t just about the species—it changes with the human activity happening at the same time.
Holly Landles and conservation biologist Shashank Balakrishna, of the University of York in England, analyzed 2,878 aggressive wildlife incidents from 2010 to 2023. The incidents involved five animals: black bears, grizzly bears, elk, coyotes and mule deer. The researchers defined aggressive behaviors as chasing. attacking or bluffing a charge. then worked through which animal-and-human activity combinations were especially risky.
Elk turned out to dominate the picture. They were involved in 62 percent of all the incidents. The most risky pairing was elk and camping: the animals turned up in 84 percent of campground incidents.
Landles, who conducted the research as an undergraduate at York, links the timing to the animals’ life cycle. Canada’s peak camping season aligns with when elk mate and give birth—periods of heightened aggression for the species.
Balakrishna offers a blunt reason visitors may not take elk seriously enough. “Elk are herbivorous herd animals that don’t immediately inspire fear like a carnivore does,” he says. In other words, the animals may look less dangerous than bears, even when they are acting aggressively.
Bears, though, still fit the stereotype for many visitors—because when they do become involved, it can be tense. Aggressive encounters with grizzly and black bears. which accounted for 14 percent and 13 percent of the total. were most frequent during low-impact activities such as hiking or wildlife watching. The researchers describe how bears can react aggressively when surprised by people moving quietly.
Coyotes and mule deer were less involved overall, but mule deer showed a specific pattern: they appeared most provoked by encounters with dogs. Dogs resemble a mule deer’s natural predators, the study’s findings suggest.
Landles’ message lands on the practical side of the science. “By identifying situations where a potential conflict scenario is more likely, we can help visitors make informed decisions that improve safety whilst also reducing unnecessary disturbance to wildlife,” she says.
The researchers’ recommendations follow directly from the risk patterns they found. They advise visitors to hike in groups or make noise when hiking alone. They also urge people to keep dogs on a short leash and to pay attention to trail signage.
“Our findings highlight the importance of visitors being well informed and seeking advice from park staff when they are uncertain,” Landles says.
The study doesn’t erase the danger of bears—it frames it. In these parks, what matters most may not be which animal sounds scariest in theory. It’s which animal shows up when people are camping, hiking quietly, or walking a dog along a trail.
elk wildlife incidents national parks Canada aggressive wildlife encounters Frontiers in Conservation Science bear safety camping precautions hiking in groups dogs and mule deer