Wednesday, September 12, 2007

New bike safety hazard - ELK!!

He was first spotted early this morning, running down Broadway Avenue. (Snort! Snort!) Soon afterwards, he was seen in one of the riverside parks. (A favorite area for local cyclists.) He almost certainly came downstream from the hills northeast of town. A yearling bull elk, estimated to be 400-450 pounds. He was later spotted in the brush near Albertson Park. (I see deer down there frequently - especially in winter. But I s'pose a 100-pound deer isn't as threatening as a 400-pound elk.)

The cops and Fish and Game people chased him around town for awhile. Eventually they cornered him near Curtis and Cassia around noon time. (That's maybe 1/2 mile from my front door.)

When you come up against the Boise Police Department... you're gonna have a bad day. "Hasta la vista, baby!" "Do ya feel lucky... PUNK? Well... doya?" "I fought the law, and the law won." Etc.

According to reports, the cops shot him twice with a handgun, "to stop it so Fish and Game officials could tranquilize the animal."

Now, I'm no hunter... but after you've shot a critter a couple times, is there really any point in wasting a tranquilizer dart?

Yeah, he's dead meat now. (But keep those guns locked 'n' loaded - citizens are reporting more elk sightings.)

Idaho Statesman story can be linked to HERE.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

BBQ at Police headquarters tonight!BYOB ;-)

Ben said...

Why did they have to kill him exactly?

Bikeboy said...

The story (and they're stickin' to it!) is that he posed a hazard to motorists... coulda darted in front of one of 'em, ya know.

Add this to the list of societal liabilities created by motor vehicle transportation.

Anonymous said...

That was just the first one. 4 more came down later in the day but then disappeared.


Fixed, F&G were inept to shoot him with a tranq. several times while he was in safer areas. He was shot because of the chance for a vehicle collision on a busy street (Curtis?). The tranquilizer takes 15 mins to bring down an Elk.

Does seem a waste of a dart with the kill accuracy of Boise's Finest.