Move Over Neil The Seal — An Elk Named 'Smash' Declares War On Cars

Elk are seemingly going out of their way to charge at cars at Estes Park in Colorado. So much so that one particularly aggressive 700-pound bull has even been given the nickname "Smash." Smash doesn't seem to discriminate much either, because he reportedly likes to run at both moving and stopped cars and even the odd golf cart, according to 9 News. 

Elk have been so prolific at damaging cars that a local body shop has apparently been much busier this year. Estes Valley Collision spoke to 9 News and recounted one instance when a customer had an elk charge at his car as he was driving around trying to look for the shop after a separate elk had already smashed into his car earlier in the day. Here's a video of Smash himself having a go at a Ford maintenance truck.

In an exposed golf cart like that, the elk's antlers could do some serious damage to the person inside. And the aggressive behavior, as it turns out, likely has something to do with Smash's annual search for a mate. 

For context, we are currently in the midst of rutting season, which, if you're a city cat like myself, is what they call the annual mating period for certain animals. For elk, this typically happens from mid-September to mid-October, and bull elk will advertise their size, strength, and viability as a mate by bugling (read: yelling) and wallowing, which entails rolling around in their own urine to spread their scent. They're also known to get territorial and unpredictable.

So, yes, the car-ramming phenomenon is almost certainly part of the whole mate-attracting, tough guy routine or an act of aggression as a result of it simply being this time of year. Anybody who's been around a certain kind of drunk dude will know exactly what I'm talking about.

Estes Park is a base for Rocky Mountain National Park and is near Roosevelt National Forest. Colorado Parks and Wildlife has advised visitors to stay a minimum of 75 feet away from elk and to never approach a bull elk during mating season. Easier said than done, but it also sounds like you should avoid being seen by them in any sort of wheeled vehicle. They hate that, apparently.