Ignoring the dangers of distancing themselves from wildlife in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, one family couldn’t walk away after noticing debris stuck on an elk’s antlers.
The family first saw the elk with something stuck to his antlers on their way to breakfast earlier this week. They saw him several more times as the elk attempted to get comfortable and rest, but the large object prevented that. They couldn’t bear the thought of leaving him there to suffer.
“The elk was really starting to struggle to function after four days with the swing stuck to his antlers,” TikTok user @swatsinthesmokies told Newsweek via TikTok. “He was sleeping right by the side of the road all day and when he would walk, he would stagger around. So we felt like there was no other choice or he was going to die.”
The family and hundreds of others kept calling the Wildlife Commission and game warden to report it, but because it was elk’s rutting season, they couldn’t help. Rutting, also known as mating season, runs between mid-August through mid-October. During this time, male elk are more aggressive and territorial.
The caption on TikTok user @swatsinthesmokies’s October 15 video said that if experts stepped in, they would try to tranquilize him, but that could potentially kill the elk since his adrenaline is already high. They also thought about using a tazer on the elk, but the dad of the family insisted they try it his way.
The family returned with razors, apples, and 911 was dialed, ready to be rung at any moment the rescue turned south. The dad ignored the recommendation of staying at least 50 feet away from wildlife in the area as it is considered “extremely dangerous.” He and the rest of the family felt they needed to do something.
The dad tried luring the elk in by feeding him apples. While he worked on cutting the debris off his antlers, someone else kept feeding the elk apples. Soon enough, the method worked and the dad was seen running after he freed the elk.
“Thankfully, he was extremely tired and worn out and desperate for help when we went to help him and he let us help him without a huge fight,” she said. “The apples we gave him helped.”
The family believes the elk knew they were trying to help. He even looked relieved when it was over. They knew their method worked when they spotted the elk finally relaxing in a field.
This dad’s bravery blew TikTok viewers away. The two clips of the incident amassed over 3.4 million views in total.
“So glad Dad is fearless! And safe because that could’ve gone wrong in so many ways. Thank you, dad!!” commented a viewer.
Another added: “The amount of danger that y’all ignored to save him is wild!!!! Appreciate Y’all.”
Others also pointed out the elk’s courage during this situation: “He was SO brave to let people get that close and thank you, humans, for being there to save him.”