The ruckus caused by an elk strolling the streets of northeast Edmonton had some residents wondering if there was a major crime happening in the neighbourhood.
The wayward wapiti was first spotted around 7:30 p.m. Thursday night, ambling through the Highlands neighbourhood.
Joylynn Tustin was enjoying a backyard fire with neighbours when police and conservation officers converged on the neighbourhood.
There were flashing lights and radio chatter. Some streets were being blocked off by police.
“We didn’t know if there was someone in the neighbourhood or a crime or had been committed,” Tustin said.
“We were kind of on the lookout for somebody and then out of nowhere we saw this elk that was on the corner by our place.
Tustin said the animal, a bull with large antlers, perused a few backyards and back alleys before speeding away.
She has never seen an elk in the city before.
“It was quite the sight. It was really cool to see.”
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The elk trotted along 112th Avenue near 67th Street before it was corralled into the river valley.
Officers lost sight the beast around 8:30 p.m.on Ada Boulevard near Betty Stanhope-Cole Park.
It ran into the bushes and down the slope toward the Highlands Golf Course, where it interrupted at least one foursome’s game before disappearing into the bush.
Paul Tustin said a Fish and Wildlife officer on scene told him the elk has been on the run for a long time.
“He told me it had come a long way through the city, came in through the northeast, on the railroad tracks,” Tustin said.
“They had been chasing it from the north to south for a while to get it to a place where they could dart it. They were pretty happy to see it go down into the golf course.
“They figure he’s pretty stressed. They’ve kind of let him go for the time being and hope they don’t see him again.”