Man shares alarming video of family's elk encounter at national park: 'It was a super scary experience'

A family had a close encounter with an elk at a national park, sparking controversy in the comments of their post.

Musician Jon Steingard (@jonsteingard) shared a video on his Instagram of himself and his family being charged by a female elk at Grand Canyon National Park.

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A post shared by Jon Steingard (@jonsteingard)

Steingard explained in the caption that they were "walking back to our car, all of a sudden we saw an elk next to the parking area. Within seconds it charged us. My family ran and I tried to scare it, protecting my family."

Apart from some bruising on his arm and leg from where the elk "either kicked or rammed" him, Steingard and his family are OK, and so is the elk. He added that a park ranger was also nearby and shooed the elk away, and they believe it became aggressive protecting an unseen infant.

"It was a super scary experience, but I feel fortunate that no one was seriously hurt, including mama elk," Steingard said.

The clip does show that the family is in the middle of the road, but Steingard wrote in the caption, "You can see the visitors center in the video. We were in a parking area headed to our car. We did not seek out this interaction."

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Though he said the family didn't seek out the encounter with the elk, it's an important reminder to always be aware that when visiting national parks, wildlife is always around and we're on their turf.

The National Park Service recommends staying back at least 25 yards from smaller animals like squirrels, 50 yards from larger animals like elk, and 100 yards from predators like bears. That ensures not only your safety but the safety of the animals. Sadly, it's all too common for animals to be euthanized after an encounter with humans, whether purposeful or accidental.

People in the comments were critical of the family, whatever their explanation for being near the elk.

"That's why they literally tell you to leave wildlife alone. Even if it's near a building, you're still in their habitat and you're approaching it. What do you expect?" one person wrote.