Happy ending

[Redmt]

Some of you probably know we have a small herd of elk run through here every few days. Yesterday morning there was a small group of cows, 1 yearling and 2 newborns. We like watching them and it's pretty exciting to see the newborn calves. 2 of the momma's ditched the 2 calves on the hillside about 150yds from the house about 7 am and disappeared with the rest of the group. Now is when my other half starts to get upset. "They left their babies!!" My wife decided that she needed to keep track of the babies, so she spent the day with her binoculars watching the babies that could totally disappear in the tall grass. She doesn't get upset very easily but seeing the babies abandoned really got her upset. She spent all day off and on watching from the living room and outside sitting on a rock. One of the little guys wandered over the ridge about 200 yds out and didn't reappear for a couple hours. Her stress levels are building is an understatement. Finally around 7:30 last night one momma wanders back and one calf goes running to her. It nursed for a while and they both left. Now it's one calf all alone and wife is really upset. All the while she keeps asking "What are we going to do?" I said "Nothing, not all babies make it." That's the wrong answer when your wife is mega stressed over what she knows is an abandoned calf. Finally about 20 minutes later the other momma comes in. All is calm for a bit until my darling wife starts to get mad at the mommas for abandoning the babies for the day. There's no elk today so all is well.

 

[MNElkNut]

You are sure fortunate to be able to watch elk and wildlife like that!

 

[Redmt]

Yes we are.

 

[2rocky]

show her this article: https://www.telluridenews.com/news/article_5e2d7210-160f-11ee-80e0-8f820617f46f.html

let her know that the cow elk will leave the herd just before she gives birth. She does this to not draw attention to her newborn calf. The newborn calf is very vulnerable to predators for about three weeks. Only its mother can protect it. The calf is born spotted and scentless, which helps it blend into its surroundings. The cow will graze at a distance away from the calf, only visiting it a few times a day so the calf can nurse. After these three weeks, the cow and calf return to the herd where there is safety in numbers.

 

[Redmt]

My wife read it. When it got to the part about mother returning during the day, she voiced a definite objection! " Those momma's never came back! I watched them all day! They are bad mommas! " At times I'm not going to disagree. This is one of those times! Nearly 52 years of marriage and I've learned when to keep my mouth shut.