Elk Behaving Strangely Was Trying To Save A Life

Zookeepers at Pocatello Zoo were puzzled when one of their elk began behaving strangely around his water trough. What first appeared to be playful splashing soon turned out to be something far more remarkable.

Shooter, a large bull elk at the zoo, repeatedly pawed at the water and attempted to lower his head into the trough. At first, staff thought he might simply be playing or cooling off. But his persistent efforts quickly caught the attention of the zoo’s veterinary staff.

Dr. Joy Fox, one of the zoo’s veterinarians, initially wondered what the elk was doing.

“What’s he doing?” she said as she grabbed her camera and headed to the exhibit to investigate.

When she arrived, Shooter was still circling the trough, sniffing and pawing at the water. At one point, he even appeared to try climbing into the container. He then attempted to dunk his head into the trough, but his large antlers made it difficult to reach inside.

What looked like unusual behavior soon revealed a purpose.

A marmot had fallen into the water trough and was struggling to stay afloat.

For nearly 15 minutes, Shooter continued circling the tank, dipping his hooves into the water and repositioning himself. Eventually, he found the right angle to lower his head between his antlers and into the trough.

When he lifted his head again, he was holding the marmot in his mouth.

Rather than harming the small animal, Shooter gently placed the soaked marmot on the ground beside the trough. The elk then nudged the animal, appearing to check on it.

After warming up in the sun for a bit, the marmot shook off the water and ran away.

Zoo staff were surprised by the elk’s careful handling of the small animal.

Kate O’Conner, the zoo’s education coordinator, said the moment showed an unexpectedly gentle side of the large bull elk.

“Shooter is such a huge animal – he stands at six feet tall without his antlers, which are another four feet – and he’s pretty scary.”

“Some of the staff don’t like going in his enclosure with him – he’s punctured car tires with his antlers before, so to see him being so gentle with a little animal was heart-warming. We all know he’s a real character, but I think he must have a soft side we didn’t know about.”

Following the incident, zoo officials modified the water troughs in the enclosure by adding wildlife escape ramps so smaller animals that fall in can climb out safely.

Shooter has remained active at the zoo since the unusual rescue. Shortly after the incident, the elk also became a father.

The event left staff with a memorable example of unexpected animal behavior—and a reminder that even the largest animals can show remarkable gentleness.