Protecting His Harem
by Doug McPherson
Title
Protecting His Harem
Artist
Doug McPherson
Medium
Photograph
Description
During the rut, bull elk will protect their harem of cows from any outside intruder. The look on this bull's face says it all. Highway 441 through Great Smoky Mountains National Park passes by the Oconaluftee Visitor Center just outside Cherokee, North Carolina. The open fields at Oconaluftee often provide visitors a roadside view of the local elk herd. This photograph was taken through the window of my truck and at distance with a 600mm lens.
It's important for people to respect wildlife and view them from a distance. The National Park has strict rules requiring visitors to remain 50 yards away from wildlife.
Oconaluftee and Cades Cove often provide for wildlife encounters much closer than this simply because there are no fences and the animals are often just a few feet off the road.
While Park Rangers and volunteers do their very best to keep people and wildlife apart occasionally that simply isn't possible.
Uploaded
November 22nd, 2023
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