Young Elk in velvet

One of the most memorable aspects of our recent trip to Canada via Yellowstone National Park, was the number of large mammals, birds and other animals we saw along the way. This young elk was browsing on the grass near the Mammoth Hot Springs Visitors Center along with a herd of about fifty other elk of various ages and sizes. His antlers are still covered in velvet and will likely keep growing. These elk live a "country club" existence in the National Parks and wander freely among the buildings of the areas visited by tourists. I have seen the same type of herds at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon also.