Encountering elk can be an amazing experience, but it can also become a safety issue when elk become too comfortable around people. Elk can also cause damage to property, pose a threat to pets, and cause vehicle collisions. Be aware of your surroundings and keep your distance from elk. Keep pets leashed and at a safe distance.
• Artificial feeding concentrates wildlife, which leads to the easier spread of disease and parasites and easier take by predators. • Feeding deer and elk attracts their natural predators like cougars and coyotes to areas of human activity. • Once wildlife associate people with giving them food, they come to expect it. Providing food for elk will invite more animals to your property and encourage them to stay. • Artificial feeding can cause deer and elk to lose their fear of humans and become aggressive towards them.• Concentrating deer and elk in human-settled areas can lead to an increase in vehicle collisions and conflicts between wildlife and pets. • Groups of deer and elk can destroy habitat through excessive grazing, erode banks, and cause damage to landscaping.
Protect wildlife and humans by not feeding elk and keeping yourself and your pets at a safe distance. Use caution when driving in areas where elk have been seen. If you experience or witness aggressive behavior by an elk toward humans contact Oregon State Police and the Newport ODFW office at 541-867-4741. Aggressive behavior is when an elk charges a human or vehicle and is actively threatening them. The mere presence of elk is not a cause for alarm, but please use caution and keep your distance.
