Docile elk suddenly chargers at photographer

Holy smokes! This video of a man in Jasper, Canada—filming a passing elk as innocently as you please before being suddenly and ruthlessly charged by that elk—has to be seen to be believed. Which is why we recommend that you hit the Play button immediately. If this doesn’t give you a much needed wake up jolt in your otherwise humdrum day, then we’re not sure what will! This video is as good a reminder as any that wild animals are just that—wild animals.

Wild animals, beautiful as they may be (and tempting as it might be to approach them) should always be considered unpredictable and approached with care and caution. We’re guessing that this amateur filmmaker, although undoubtedly well intentioned, got a little bit closer to the stunning elk depicted here than the elk was entirely comfortable with. We’re hoping that—in addition to learning a valuable lesson about treating nature’s gorgeous creatures with respect—the man who shot this video sustained a bigger blow to his pride than he did to his person. (Although, from the loud “oof!” we can hear him exclaiming, our guess is that there was a definite body blow as well.)

Like many male mammals, elks are territorial creatures—and as humans encroach further into their natural habitats and foraging grounds, close encounters are to be expected. So it pays to remember that, when in doubt, keeping a minimum safe distance is always going to be your best bet. And, after all, it’s not like you can’t get good video footage from a safe distance away. That’s exactly what the zoom lens was invented for! Having said all that—and this video’s obvious value as a cautionary tale notwithstanding—we’re still pretty glad that this video exists and that this intrepid video-grapher was able to get it, because the elk in this video is one stunning animal! Beautiful and dangerous—which is exactly what nature’s creatures, in their purest form, ought to be.

If you haven’t hit the Play button yet, then sit back, relax, and prepare to let somebody else take the blow for you as you savor the brief sight of a gorgeous animal caught on film. And then maybe bookmark this one, for the next time you find yourself nodding off at work and need a little jolt to wake you back up. This video offers a jolt, and then some!