Is Grand Canyon Wildlife an Attraction or Problem?
The eye-catching Grand Canyon views are not the only thing capturing tourists’ attention.
Elk, once a sporadic sight at the Canyon, now frequently jam the roads & grazie on hotel lawns. They’ve also been known to break a few bones & give chase to the curious cats.
Park officials want to curtail the interactions with park visitors by taking away the food & water sources that lure the elk. This means all the grass along the South Rim and the runoff from a water treatment facility.
Last summer, a tourist standing too close to an elk was scratched in the eye by its antlers and 2011; a park concessionaire employee was gored in the back standing on the sidewalk of a hotel.
Grand Canyon wildlife biologist Brand Honton says, “They’ve completely lost their fear of humans”.
What are your thoughts on this? Do you feel we should force Elk to move out of the Canyon?
