Most of the meetings happened while people were doing quiet activities such as hiking, wildlife watching, sightseeing or walking in town. Elk were part of more than half of the adventure‑sport incidents and 80 % of the campsite incidents.

Study author Shashank Balakrishna says people often think elk are not dangerous because they eat plants. Nick de Ruyter, program director at the Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley, adds that visitors get too close, feed elk or take selfies, which can lead to attacks.

Both experts advise keeping a distance of about three school‑bus lengths from elk and other large animals, and to carry bear spray even in busy town areas. Eighty percent of the encounters happened in Banff and Jasper, where many tourists visit each year.