JANUARY 1, 2013. TWO ELK STORIES.

  
STORY 1.
Be shocked and saddened at the extent of inhumane acts upon other species of animals by the overlord animal dominating life on the planet today.  There is no doubt the off-duty cop (side business - taxidermist) had no compunction about killing this Elk.  Be touched by the reaction of the people who live on Mapleton Avenue in Boulder, CO who loved and respected this magnificent being.  A candle light march was held in honor of their friend.

STORY 2.
Scroll down and be moved by the conscious intelligence of an Elk who figured out how to save another species from drowning.  There is no doubt the other animals are consciously aware of their environment, and have the ability to think and solve problems. The Elk could have walked away from the hapless Prairie Dog who had somehow fallen into a barrel of water.  He obviously preferred to save him.

STORY 1.   ELK KILLED FOR MEAT, TROPHY, TAXIDERMY.

SHOOTING JAN.1 2013

Off-duty Boulder police Officer Brent Curnow poses with the Elk he and another cop killed in a local neighborhood in Boulder.  (Boulder Camera file photo)

Last week's killing of the popular elk has caused community uproar, as Boulder police first denied involvement, then revealed that the towering bull elk was shot by an on-duty officer. Boulder County sheriff's officials confirmed that an on-duty deputy also helped load the animal into a pickup truck. Camera Staff Writer Mitchell Byars contributed to this report.  Contact Camera Staff Writer Erica Meltzer at 303-473-1355 or meltzere@dailycamera.com.

BOULDER ELK SHOOTING: Cop's Text to partner hours before shooting the beloved Mapleton Avenue Elk:  'He's Gonna Die'

According to investigators, the texts between Carter, Curnow and a Boulder County sheriff Deputy Jeff George showed that the shooting and disposing of the elk Jan. 1 was a premeditated hunt for a trophy kill. The arrest affidavits for Carter and Curnow -- who were booked Friday on suspicion of nine different charges -- stated while analyzing the cell phone interaction between the two, investigators, "discovered several messages indicating that the killing of the elk was planned and personal gain of meat and trophy."

Carter told police he encountered the buck while on patrol that night, but at 2:56 a.m. -- almost 20 hours before the shooting -- Carter texted "Found wapiti (elk) you up," followed by a text of "Should I go hunting," at 4:14 a.m.  At 5:56 a.m. Carter texts George with the location of the elk, followed by George texting, "Did you shoot him?" to which Carter replies, "Nope."

At 2:45 p.m., Curnow texted, "You should have killed it," to Carter, who responded, "Oh he's dead tonight. His right side is broke off at main beam. And he looks a little smaller. He may not be wapiti, but he's gonna die." By 10:43, Carter texts George that he had found the elk near Ninth Street and Mapleton Avenue and asks him to head to the scene.

Carter then tells Curnow at 11:44 that he found the elk. Curnow texts Carter back telling him to, "Get him," but Carter says "Too many people right now."  But at 11:55 p.m., just after Curnow asks Carter, "When you think you can wack it," Carter texts back, "Elk down."

In addition to the shooting, Carter and Curnow also discussed what to do with the meat. Just before the shooting at 11:54 p.m., Curnow asks Carter,  "You gonna be able to help butcher it? Or are you gonna go home sick?" Carter responds, "I can butcher."

Contact Camera Staff Writer Mitchell Byars at 303-473-1329 or byarsm@dailycamera.com. ___ 
(c)2013 the Daily Camera (Boulder, Colo.)

STORY 2.  ELK SAVES ANOTHER SPECIES FROM DROWNING.

This act of interspecies compassion didn't make the papers.  Fortunately, an unknown photographer was at the scene when an Elk saved a prairie dog.  His visual report on the Internet was shared again and again across the country.  Maybe the Elk just didn't want the prairie dog in his water.  Whatever the reason, the prairie dog lived to tell the tale.