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Tag: elk

Chimpanzees and elk featured in stories about wildfire in Washington

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , 2 Comments on Chimpanzees and elk featured in stories about wildfire in Washington

Elk and firefighterChimpanzees were one of the first to “report” the Highway 10/Hart Road fire near Cle Elum, Washington.

From the NWNewsNetwork:

…Jamie, a female chimp [at the Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest], let out a soft high-pitched call when she spotted a plume of smoke rising outside of the sanctuary center’s playroom. The other chimps turned their heads to look. Then, the human caretakers noticed and dialed 911. Staff scrambled, got all the chimps inside and safe, turned on emergency sprinklers and evacuated staff…

And now we hear that a cow elk has been visiting with firefighters, making her rounds “giving kisses to each firefighter and officer” at the Incident Command Post.

Her name is Button. She was orphaned and has taken up residence near the Chimp Sanctuary adopting some goats and horses as her family.

Elk at fire

Elk and firefighters

Photos of Buttons with the firefighters are by the Kittitas County Fire District #7. More are here.

Elk and bison in Wind Cave National Park

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , , 6 Comments on Elk and bison in Wind Cave National Park

Elk in Wind Cave National Park

It was a beautiful day in the Black Hills Saturday so I drove into Wind Cave National Park. The elk and bison seemed to be enjoying the warmish weather (40 degrees) and sunshine.

Elk in Wind Cave National Park

The little guy below approached my truck. I assumed he wanted to either inspect it for road salt that he could lick off, or might want to use it as a scratching post, so I moved forward about 50 feet. He followed, so I moved again, and he came along again. I blew my horn thinking it might scare him away. It startled him and he froze, but then the rest of the group, about 30 bison, started walking toward me, and I, uh, suddenly remembered something I needed to do and left the area.

Bison in Wind Cave National Park

 

All photos are by Bill Gabbert, and protected by copyright.