CAUGHT ON CAM: Elk hits vehicle in Yellowstone Park while running from wolf

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK – An elk hit a vehicle in Yellowstone National Park while being chased by a wolf and the whole thing was caught on camera.

A 17-second video sent to EastIdahoNews.com at 1:39 Saturday afternoon shows an elk at a dead run smacking into a white SUV driving through the park. The SUV appears undamaged and continues moving forward but the collision knocks the elk unconscious. It collapses in the middle of the road before a black wolf appears out of the trees charging toward it.

Matt Fluke of Idaho Falls, who sent the video, was in front of the vehicle that got hit. He says he was traveling about 25 mph when it happened. It was about noon and he was looking for a spot to have a picnic with his family. He had just passed the Firehole campground and happened to have his dash camera on when the crash occurred.

“I didn’t look at my dashcam video until I got back to where we were staying at,” Fluke says. “Originally I thought it happened behind that car. We pulled over for a second and saw the elk on the road and the wolf with it.”

Fluke says he pulled over immediately and observed the scene through his rear window.

“There was a turn out real close and lots of other cars stopping around there. You could see it from where we were at and the car that was behind me pulled over and then pulled out and went down the road,” says Fluke. “It was wild.”

WATCH THE COLLISION IN THE VIDEO ABOVE.

Fluke says traffic throughout the park is packed this weekend as travelers get a jump on Memorial Day.

“Traffic was backed up all the way through West Yellowstone (as people waited to enter the park),” he says.

The Associated Press reports the number of visitors to the park in April increased 40% compared to 2019. Traffic is expected to increase as the summer season approaches.

Park officials are reminding you to drive safe and be alert to wildlife while traveling through Yellowstone.