SALT LAKE CITY — An unusual set of commuters were seen along multiple highways near the Foothills area of Salt Lake City early Thursday.
PHOTOS: Herd of elk safely return home to Parleys Canyon
Several cameras caught a large herd of elk running alongside Interstate 80 and Interstate 215 before, during and after the rush hour traffic.
Video below shows the elk herd running along I-80
“Just amazing. I was like, 'Oh, my God, who will I tell?' I wanted everybody to come up here and see this amazing sight,” said Jan Brittain, who lives in the neighborhood.
The herd, estimated to be about 60 elk, was seen on several Utah Department of Traffic cameras, especially one on I-80 near 2800 East.
People were standing on their roofs and peering over fences to get a glimpse of their new neighbors.
“We’ve lived here for 30 years and we’ve seen all kinds of animals; deer, a bobcat, lots of raccoons ... but we’ve never seen elk before,” recalled Richard Nash.
ROAD BLOCK: A massive herd of elk (around 60) blocking traffic off I-80 right ahead of the Foothill Drive exit @fox13 pic.twitter.com/HeyzVBqGtO
— Lucy Nelson (@Lucynelsontv) January 26, 2023
It was a breathtaking sight for Nash, one he hopes was temporary.
“We hope they make it up in the mountains," he said. "We’d love to see them again next year, and hope they’re safe and hope they don’t ruin anybody’s car.”
A number of elk sightings have been seen around Salt Lake City recently, with a Utah Division of Wildlife Resources officer saying it's likely due to the deep snow in the mountains causing them to migrate to lower elevations to look for food.
More video below shows elk along Salt Lake City highways
“Our biologists think just because there’s been such a heavy snowpack this year, it’s just so hard for them to find feed in some of those higher elevation areas and even in the foothills where they’re used to finding feed during the winter months, so they’re coming way further down into the valleys," explained Faith Heaton Jolley with DWR.
After a three-hour effort, DWR officers, along with help from the Salt Lake City Police Department and Utah Highway Patrol, were able to push the herd by foot, car and snowmobile up Parleys Canyon. Jolley added that none of the animals or drivers along I-80 were injured.
The elk left behind memorable hoof prints behind for those lucky enough to see the rare sight.
“This is the joy of living in Utah," said Brittain. "To see things like that out in the wild.”
