Cloudcroft seeks to educate after elk cow incident

Cloudcroft residents are channeling their sadness over an elk cow being killed hours after giving birth into educating the public. "We've had elk and deer come through here for years," Cloudcroft resident Gerry Sass said. "We've lived here almost 40 years, my parents owned cabins in the 60s before this was ever developed. We're used to the deer and the elk – we're always delighted to see them but we know to stay our distance." Sass and her neighbors watched an elk cow in awe from their homes as she gave birth, hid the calf behind a neighbor's propane tank and proceeded to graze in the nearby forest Monday. "While she grazed up and down the canyon, there was one high school girl that was walking on the road that was chased," Sass said. Sass's neighbor, Martha Wilcox said the girl didn't see the elk as she was walking and was startled. "When she moved the way she did, the elk rushed her – that's what they do when they're protecting their babies," Wilcox said. Hours later, the neighbors said they watched local law enforcement and New Mexico Department of Game and Fish officers speed up their road.  Cloudcroft Chief of Police Matt Flotte said they had reports that the elk had chased a woman walking her dog Monday morning but hadn't been able to locate the elk. Late Monday afternoon, Flotte said Cloudcroft police received more complaints that two young boys had been chased by the elk...more