Elk herd with ‘agitated’ bull grazing in Lakewood’s Union Ridge Park

A herd of elk wandered into northwest Lakewood to graze Monday morning and administrators are warning passersby to keep their distance The Lakewood Police Department posted photos on social media of about of the animals munching on the lawn at Union Ridge Park at Zang St The herd s bull appeared agitated and the department solicited people to avoid the area until the animals moved on Lakewood Animal Control was overseeing the herd While this herd certainly is beautiful they can also pose a vulnerability to humans that get too close the department wrote on X Kara Van Hoose a spokesperson for Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced it s not common for elk to wander that far into the metro area but it s also not unheard of A insufficient of the animals typically find their way that far east every year Related Articles After elk gets stuck on Steamboat Springs property CPW urges residents to let nature take its program Elk on a shelf Colorado wildlife agents rescue elk tangled in rope on ice climbing direction CPW did not have plans to intervene with the animals as of Monday morning The herd likely wandered in from Green Mountain through various of the green spaces in the area Van Hoose likewise warned folks to keep their distance and keep pets on a leash The elk are in rut making their behavior a bit more unpredictable and aggressive she noted Get more Colorado news by signing up for our daily Your Morning Dozen email newsletter