/ #elk #police 

Elk! Police (and Twitter) respond in force

Update (October 9): The elk ended up being donated to the Odawa Native Friendship Centre, who issued this press release earlier today titled " The Friendship Centre Wapiti “.

The centre included this statement: “We are hopeful that in future events, a more structured process will be in place to set any wildlife animals into their natural habitats. Odawa feels that as more wildlife enters urban settings, Aboriginal experts in the field should be utilized in terms of proper protocol and holistic dealings. Odawa is grateful to have been visited by our brother wapiti and that this is a good omen, the wapiti is a sign of male protection for females and a sign of love.”

http://twitter.com/StuMillsCBC/status/387660429826080768

I’ve lived in Ottawa for 35 years and I’ve heard about bears in backyards, moose in schoolyards and deer in the Rideau Canal but I can’t remember ever hearing about an elk within city limits. (Unless you count the Elk Ranch out in Kanata.)

At 7:38am today, Ottawa Police responded to a call about a very large elk on the loose near Scott Street and the City Centre building. Seven hours later, the moose was shot dead despite efforts to tranquilize it. ( Here’s a statement from Ottawa Police Chief Charles Bordeleau. )

(As an aside: While the police did have assistance from animal experts, it does seem strange to me that under the City of Ottawa’s current wildlife strategy, calls about large wild animals within city limits are handled by the police and not conservation officers or folks who are experts in dealing with wildlife. Apparently the wildlife strategy is a work in progress.)

Here are some notable comments from the Twitterverse, including first-hand tweets from the elk ( @elkpatry ). A mix of the usual breaking news and snark.

https://twitter.com/fireballxl8/status/387553958379528193

https://twitter.com/fireballxl8/status/387564060822085633

https://twitter.com/ottawasuncom/status/387568148427603968

https://twitter.com/DutyInspector/status/387567632582332417

https://twitter.com/waub/status/387572672529305600

https://twitter.com/jaimiek/status/387575511028727808

https://twitter.com/kristynease/status/387586704648859648

http://twitter.com/StuMillsCBC/status/387588559273611264

http://twitter.com/StuMillsCBC/status/387590099401060354

https://twitter.com/jstntng/status/387595374866989056

https://twitter.com/ElkPatry/status/387603045003296769

https://twitter.com/jaimiek/status/387611512195387392

https://twitter.com/OttawaPolice/status/387612001284796416

https://twitter.com/jaimiek/status/387615278370004992

https://twitter.com/DavisHollya/status/387628868112089088

https://twitter.com/jaimiek/status/387634872723832832

http://twitter.com/zev_singer/status/387638449232035840

http://twitter.com/zev_singer/status/387640885258616832

https://twitter.com/jaimiek/status/387642959954325504

http://twitter.com/zev_singer/status/387643171863138304

http://twitter.com/JordanTimm/status/387644807855628289

http://twitter.com/JordanTimm/status/387645412846227456

https://twitter.com/ElkPatry/status/387645954792648704

http://twitter.com/JordanTimm/status/387647158314213376

https://twitter.com/ALL_CAPS/status/387647163141861377

https://twitter.com/CFRAKristy/status/387648186275205121

https://twitter.com/MarbleHydrants/status/387648457588375552

http://twitter.com/JordanTimm/status/387648705420984321

https://twitter.com/OttawaPolice/status/387648730066731009

https://twitter.com/OttawaPolice/status/387648888691118080

http://twitter.com/zev_singer/status/387650087737761792

http://twitter.com/zev_singer/status/387650573593350144

http://twitter.com/zev_singer/status/387650912170176512

https://twitter.com/PetersNewJobs/status/387651047688519680

https://twitter.com/romeoinottawa/status/387651160599199744

http://twitter.com/zev_singer/status/387651297177923584

https://twitter.com/_kimmbot/status/387654774146863107

https://twitter.com/matthertendy/status/387663533652983808

https://twitter.com/chrisjlund/status/387656273199521792

https://twitter.com/ScottMoffatt21/status/387660677105451008

https://twitter.com/supergovernance/status/387653144965967872

https://twitter.com/Jay_Camp/status/387702989374636032

https://twitter.com/ElkPatry/status/387647207291506689