{"id":13617,"date":"2025-07-16T07:17:04","date_gmt":"2025-07-16T07:17:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/13617\/"},"modified":"2025-07-16T07:17:04","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T07:17:04","slug":"maggie-valley-leaders-and-wildlife-experts-reinforce-elk-smart-campaign-for-summer-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/13617\/","title":{"rendered":"Maggie Valley leaders and wildlife experts reinforce Elk Smart campaign for summer safety"},"content":{"rendered":"

MAGGIE VALLEY, N.C. (WLOS) \u2014 Elk encounters are increasing with more tourists visiting the North Carolina mountains this summer, so local leaders and wildlife experts are reinforcing their Elk Smart campaign<\/a> to keep people and elk safe.<\/p>\n

Elk have become quite the calling card for places like Maggie Valley and surrounding areas. However, town and wildlife leaders are reminding visitors, especially this time of year, to keep their distance.<\/p>\n

In the early 2000’s, 52 elk were reintroduced into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The herd has grown to about 250. Sometimes a handful wander into nearby towns like Maggie Valley. They\u2019re a fixture now and part of the town’s ambiance, appealing to residents and visitors alike.<\/p>\n

‘ELK SMART’: NC WILDLIFE OFFICIALS URGE THE PUBLIC TO ADMIRE ELK FROM A DISTANCE<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe really want people to use common sense around these large wild animals,\u201d said Maggie Valley Assistant Town Manager Sam Cullen.<\/p>\n

He says there’s guidance to follow to stay safe.<\/p>\n

\u201cFeeding them, approaching them, petting them is not a good idea,” Cullen said.<\/p>\n

It’s a message reinforced with signs around town and online, including elk facts like how high they can jump and how fast they can run.<\/p>\n

LOCAL WILDLIFE SANCTUARY OFFERS GUIDANCE ON HELPING FAWNS DURING SUMMER SEASON<\/a><\/p>\n

They are majestic animals. The town is in sync with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, emphasizing they can be dangerous too. Keeping your distance, they say, is imperative.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re getting reports from time to time of people coming way too close to elk, whether it\u2019s trying to feed them or take pictures with them. And that is just not what you need to do,\u201d said NC Wildlife Resources Commission biologist Justin McVey. \u201cWhen you have a 1,000-pound bull, that’s a recipe for disaster, getting close to it. All it takes is that bull getting stung by a bee and he swings that 50-pound set of antlers, that can cause a lot of damage.”<\/p>\n

Cullen said although discussed, the town is not opting for any kind of anti-feeding ordinance that would have enforcement issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think educating the public is a good option on getting someone to not approach an elk rather than punishing them after it happened,\u201d Cullen said.<\/p>\n

TICK BITE-RELATED EMERGENCY ROOM VISITS AT NEAR RECORD LEVEL THIS SUMMER, CDC REPORTS<\/a><\/p>\n

The educational campaign is stepping up as the herd grows and as more people come to visit or move here, increasing elk-human interactions.<\/p>\n

McVey said the Elk Smart campaign<\/a> has 4 main tenants:<\/p>\n

Don’t approach an elk. Stay a hundred yards away.Don’t feed them. Acclimation to humans or any other non-wild presence is unwanted.Don’t name the elk. That takes away their wildness.If you see somebody who’s doing something wrong with an elk, let authorities know.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MAGGIE VALLEY, N.C. (WLOS) \u2014 Elk encounters are increasing with more tourists visiting the North Carolina mountains this…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13618,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[13171,13173,526,13169,13170,2785,79,13172,201],"class_list":["post-13617","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-campaign","tag-distance","tag-education","tag-elk","tag-maggie-valley","tag-safety","tag-science","tag-tourists","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13617","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13617"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13617\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13618"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}