Wild Elk Plays Soccer With Teenage Boys in Colorado

Shira Moffatt captured adorable footage of her teenage sons playing soccer at their Evergreen, Colorado home with a wild elk who broke free of the herd and appeared on a ridge above their driveway.

Our kids were playing soccer and kicked the ball up the hill where the elk were….One of the elk took an interest and began to play with them. ….We do see elk quite a bit, but they have never played with us. It was pretty incredible.

The brothers were more than happy to include the wild animal in their game. They would throw the ball to the elk and the elk would chase the ball and kick it back down the ridge. A Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson told 9News, that the boys were acting appropriately with the elk.

A spokesperson for Colorado Parks and Wildlife said it appears the kids were staying a safe distance from the elk and that they were not harassing the animal since they didn’t throw the ball directly at it. …the elk was treating the ball as it would small prey, by headbutting and stomping at it as a warning to what is underfoot.

Elk Plays Soccer With Kids
Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.