Wildlife photographer helps save elk trapped in netting in Prince Albert National Park

Lisa Risom · CBC News

· Posted: Oct 30, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: October 30

Avid wildlife lensman Rod Young gets to cognize his taxable matters well, particularly the bull elk successful Prince Albert National Park.

In aboriginal October, helium noticed 1 of the bull elk was successful distress.

“That peculiar bull, helium had been hanging astir determination rather a bit, truthful I had photographed him 2 oregon 3 antithetic times. And connected that time helium was truly hung up with immoderate benignant of netting oregon cargo netting. It mightiness person been somebody’s hammock,” said Young. 

He took a mates photos and a abbreviated video of the carnal and past reported the elk entanglement to Parks Canada unit close away. 

“I don’t really cognize what it was, but helium was truly tangled up and beauteous stressed retired and beauteous bushed and evidently rather aggravated and irritated, to accidental the least,” Young said.

Parks Canada assets conservation unit caught up with the elk connected Kingsmere Road, wherever they were capable to sprout a tranquilizing cause into the fell of the elk, said acting assets conservation manager Tom Perry. 

“Once the elk was down and harmless to approach, we were capable to chopped distant the netting and escaped the elk,” said Perry.

Parks Canada unit chopped the netting disconnected the horns of a bull elk successful Prince Albert National Park. (Submitted by Parks Canada)

He said the elk was down for astir 40 minutes. During that time, unit monitored its bosom complaint and captious signs. Once helium started coming to, they stood backmost and waited for him to get up and trot away.

Perry said 10 days later, connected Oct. 18, parks unit had to rescue different bull elk that was caught successful fencing. He said it’s their occupation arsenic wildlife professionals to beryllium capable to respond successful situation situations and forestall them from happening successful the future.

“These things tin beryllium truly stressful for the carnal and often effect successful decease to the animal,” Perry said.

He said snowfall fencing, ropes, netting to screen gardens and trees, trampoline nets and plaything sets are immoderate of the materials that airs a hazard to wildlife.

“We promote folks to prime these things up, cleanable them up, oregon don’t usage them if it’s not necessary,” helium said.

WATCH | Raw video of bull elk tangled successful netting:

Young said helium was blessed to larn that wrong a fewer hours of reporting the elk, the bull was freed from the netting. 

“I’ve seen elk tangled up before, but not similar that. That’s astir arsenic atrocious arsenic it gets,” Young said.

Perry said the townsite of Waskesiu is simply a unsocial spot wherever a herd of 60 to 80 elk often roam the townsite and are often spotted grazing successful Red Deer campground, the Waskesiu Golf Course, and compartment owner’s lawns.  

A herd of elk visits the Waskesiu townsite. (Submitted by Parks Canada)

“Wildlife are portion of this landscape. They’re a portion of Waskesiu,” Perry said. “We punctual folks that we stock this abstraction and [animals] are portion of this broader community.”

He said radical person to larn to coexist with wildlife and springiness them their space. He recommends keeping 30 metres oregon 3 autobus lengths distant from chaotic animals, including elk. 

He added that elk are conscionable astatine the process extremity of the mating play that typically runs from Sept. 1-30.

“In the autumn time, bull elk tin beryllium rather assertive and they tin beryllium dangerous.… They privation to support everything distant from their females,” Perry said.

He said Parks Canada encourages wildlife viewing and photography but recommends radical don’t attack wildlife.