Elk Proves He's A Local By Running Town's Annual 5K
Everyone expected a rabbit to be the star of their town's Bunny Hop 5K race, but another animal took the spotlight instead. Sadly, no eggs or chocolate came with his arrival.
An elk named Buddy, well-known among locals in Dayville, Oregon, showed off his serious racing chops last Saturday when he decided to run an entire race alongside 54 people, local newspaper Blue Mountain Eagle reported.
Although the 3-year-old elk ran the race, he wandered off the route at least twice and preferred spending time hanging out with crowds of people than actually bothering to crossing the finish line, according to the paper.
Buddy happens to be fairly comfortable around people. "He spent a considerable amount of time on a local ranch with the cattle and horses and learned to not fear humans from a young age," the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a Facebook post. "This concerned wildlife managers and some area residents, as tame elk can get very aggressive when they get too accustomed to people, especially male elk during [mating season]."
Buddy was then relocated to the Philip Schneider Wildlife Area in late February. However, it seems he just couldn't stay away from people and managed to find his way back to the town - in the midst of a race.
So on Tuesday, Buddy was moved to a wildlife animal park, where he's expected to live from now on, given that he's far too "tame" and loves the company of people too much.
If Buddy remained in the wild, not only would he possibly become a threat to humans during mating season, but his love of people would also make him an easy target for hunters.
So it's safe to assume that this was Buddy's first and last Easter run, though we'll have to wait until next year to see if he manages to make another surprise appearance.