Elk are awfully large creatures but are primarily known as herbivores. They feast on green grass, plants, shrubs, and the tips of branches to help them grow. According to Colorado Parks & Wildlife, their habitats and the season will dictate the foods that go into their average of 24 pounds a day. Every now and then, though, we come across an elk that is eating way outside their food groups. In one YouTube video, an elk is munching on something rather unexpected: a rabbit. The account Animal Kingdom posted the shocking video, and we just had to share it.
The elk is standing in the shrubs, chewing away, and when he turns his head, you can see a rabbit dangling from the elk's mouth. The rabbit is kicking and flailing its limbs, trying to escape, but it really doesn't seem to phase the elk. The ungulate seems to care more about the person taking the video than getting kick-boxed in the throat by the rabbit. Eventually, the elk drops the rabbit into the bushes, and the video ends. The cliffhanger left many viewers wondering if the elk ever finished off the bunny or if it moved on to the more herbivore-friendly options.
One viewer marveled at how humorous the video was, even though it had the potential to be gruesome, but wondered about the ending. Another agreed, commenting, "Wondering the same thing. Why does the video stop before we get to see if the elk is actually going to eat the rabbit or simply just walk away?"
Another asked, "Is it playing with it?" The video certainly gives that impression, though another commenter's solution may be more accurate. They replied, "Maybe it's trying to break its legs so it can't escape." It seems like a reasonable assumption. However, most of us still marvel at the realization that sometimes elk eat meat, like in this video of an elk eating a baby goose. But it might not be uncommon for elk and deer to eat meat. Another commenter writes, "Here in Texas (I) have seen deer eating fresh meat as well as rotting carcasses."
