On July 25, 2014, Idaho Fish and Game sent out a press release entitled, "Bull Elk Relocated After Touring Garden City." According to Idaho Fish and Game, a bull elk was found around 9:15 on Thursday night foraging in a vacant lot in Garden City. The elk seemed to be stressed while running through the neighborhood, probably from the onslaught of onlookers taking a barrage of photos, and a few attempting to take "selfies."
For those who are unaware, a "selfie" is a photo taken by oneself with a smart phone, usually only encapsulating the shoulders and up due to the limited extent of the arm's reach. I am not bashing the selfie, because I, sadly, have to admit that I have fallen prey to the style on occasion. However, Idaho Fish and Game prefers people resist the temptation to get close to these wild animals for selfie-taking of any sort.
"When people get this close to a wild animal, the stress not only creates potential harm to the animal and to the public," said Idaho Fish and Game Conservation Officer Bill London, "the increased adrenaline can also make it difficult to tranquilize an animal."
Luckily for Garden City residents and the stressed bull elk, the Garden City Police were able to keep the people at bay to wait for the elk to bed down. At this point Fish and Game veterinarian Mark Drew tranquilized the elk for relocation.
So kids (and adults who never seem to learn), the moral of the story is stop taking selfies so darn much, especially when you're scaring the poor bull elk. Try just taking it all in with your eyes, and see how that pans out for you.
P.S. You should probably refrain from taking selfies with wild animals in general, because they are wild and can hurt you. Check out this article from Time magazine, for other extremely inappropriate times for taking selfies.
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