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A Wyoming-based guide has captured dramatic footage showing an elk running for its life while being chased by a wolf in Yellowstone National Park.
Bo Welden’s footage (posted below) begins with text informing viewers to prepare for an “expected outcome.”
While that’s a vague hint of what’s to come, viewers can see from the outset that this is an emergency situation for a cow elk that appears to be on her own.
Several seconds pass with the wolf, exhibiting remarkable stamina, attempting to catch the elk as both animals sprint across the rugged landscape.
But soon the elk reaches its herd and the dynamic changes. The elk that was fleeing, now with the herd’s support, begins to chase the wolf, which barely escapes.
Welden, who guides for Jackson Hole Wildlife Ecotour Adventures, explained the “expected outcome” statement via Instagram:
“Have you ever tried to catch and kill your food with your face? Plus your food runs 30+ miles an hour, one stomp from a powerful hoof kills/injures you, and has a fierce motherly instinct! It’s no easy task.”
Gray wolves (some are black) typically require the strength of a pack to take down a healthy adult elk.
Welden told FTW Outdoors that the chase occurred in Hayden Valley and that the black wolf in the footage is a member of the Wapiti Lake Pack.
–Generic black wolf image from Hayden Valley courtesy of Scott Thomas