Onlookers near the surf of Cannon Beach, Oregon captured a herd of elk running down the shoreline and avoiding waves.
On Sunday, the spectacular scene was caught on video by people lucky enough to witness the herd of elk. Local news station KPIC reported that bystander Chris Goodell captured one of the viral videos of the herd. Goodell’s video shows the herd entering the sandy beaches of the Oregon shore.
In addition, Goodell said that the herd ran into the King Tide along the coastline. The King Tide is an abnormally high spring tide, so the elk were running towards possibly dangerous waters.
Another witness at Cannon Beach, Eric Brough, shared a different angle of the rare elk sighting. Brough, who lives in Seattle, visited the Oregon beach on Sunday as well. He filmed the herd running away from a wave during high tide.
Brough also mentioned the rarity of the event. He said the owner of the hotel he’s staying at has never seen anything like this before. Additionally, the hotel owner said the tides are the highest they’ve been since 1967.
Another visitor to Cannon Beach over the weekend confirmed the large waves. She said she witnessed 20-foot waves off the coastline recently.
Amazing Footage of a Huge Herd of Elk Released
To close out 2020, Colorado wildlife officials released a stellar collection of recent helicopter footage tracking an enormous elk herd. The videos show the large animals sprinting through the snow-covered Colorado wilderness outside of Denver in December.
Colorado State Parks’ annual big game survey is to thank for the series of five videos. Park biologists use helicopter surveys to find, track and report big game animals. Furthermore, the officials also count each animal in the herd and identify both their sex and health standards at the same time.
Park biologists don’t just focus on the elk population. They also count the population of rams and ewes in local bighorn sheep herds. Their research also includes bucks and does among deer populations, pronghorns, and other megafauna.
Their research helps map big game migration patterns and their seasonal movements. The data assists with wildlife conservation, hunting, and land and park management.
