Professional photographer Christopher Martin spends a lot of his time watching wildlife, so when he spotted an elk erratically walking back and forth on a rail bridge in Banff National Park it caught his eye. “It was unusual behaviour because it was going one way a few steps and then it would double back, and it did that a few times,” said Martin, who was driving toward Lake Minnewanka on Sunday morning.
Curious, the Bragg Creek resident pulled his car over and grabbed his camera, which he always keeps handy, to get a better look.
“As I pulled out the camera and the lens, I could see a wolf head appear and grab on — bite the neck — so then, I knew something amazing was going on,” he said.
The wolves pursued the elk back and forth along the bridge as it attempted in vain to find an escape. (Christopher Martin)
“I got out of the car and hiked up a hill on the one side right where the railway overpass bridge is, so I could get level with the bridge deck and obviously see much better.”
Once he reached the better vantage point and found himself within 150 metres of the elk, he could see there was not just one wolf attacking it, but at least four.
“They were alternating between hemming the elk onto the bridge, to keep it on the bridge … and then they would alternate in attack,” he said.
“So, one or two would attack from the back and then the other one would bite on the neck, or vice versa.”
A male wolf, with his face already bloody from an earlier attack on the elk, looks to deliver a fatal blow. (Christopher Martin)
“It seemed liked it was the alpha male or at least a very strong male that was going after the neck and taking that frontal attack, which obviously can be dangerous,” Martin added.
The pack took the elk down twice and each time it managed to get back up and continue trying to flee.
Finally, the wolves took it down for a third time, and it didn’t get back up. Click the link and see all the pictures and read the remaining part of the story – http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/banff-wolf-pack-elk-takedown-christopher-martin-photographer-1.3462499