A6
Blue Mountain Eagle
Year in Review
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
F EATURE S TORY OF THE Y EAR
Buddy, the Easter elk, joins Bunny Hop 5K
By Cheryl Hoefl er
Blue Mountain Eagle
Dayville’s Bunny Hop 5K in March picked
up an unexpected participant — an elk, known as
“Buddy” to locals.
Buddy ran the entire race, alongside the 54 hu-
man runners, on South Fork Road from south of
town to the Dayville City Park. He stopped at least
twice and headed off the route, but returned again
each time to rejoin the other 5K racers.
He did have a number, but it was just an ear tag
and not a sanctioned race bib. Buddy also didn’t
pay any entry fees, nor did he technically fi nish the
race, instead meandering through the crowd at the
park instead of crossing the fi nish line.
Buddy also didn’t take part in the Easter egg
hunt at the park afterward; human help guided him
back up South Fork so young egg hunters could
have the park to themselves.
Though Buddy is well-known by people in
Dayville, this was his fi rst trip to town, according
to city recorder Ruthie Moore.
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife district
wildlife biologist Ryan Torland said Buddy, who
is about 3 years old, was moved to Grant County
from the Prineville area last month.
Torland speculates the elk was possibly raised
from a calf by someone who decided it was some-
thing they didn’t want to keep. The elk had become
habituated to people and started hanging out in
town there.
“He thinks he’s a person,” Torland said.
But ODFW was concerned he would become
more aggressive during rutting season, so they
placed him in the Phillip Schneider Wildlife Area
in the Murderers Creek Basin, far from people,
with the hopes that he would stay there and become
acclimated to other elk.
That didn’t work, however.
Buddy soon made his way down and had been
hanging out at a local ranch, which is where he saw
and was apparently attracted to, the activity of the
5K racers on Saturday.
Torland said Buddy was moved on Tuesday this
week over to Wildlife Safari in Winston.
This was the third year for the Bunny Hop 5K
but the fi rst time an Easter elk has made an appear-
ance at the event.
Eagle photos/Cheryl Hoefler
An elk joined the fun at
Dayville’s March 26 Bunny
Hop 5K. He completed the
course on South Fork Road,
keeping pace with the other
participants, all the way into
Dayville City Park but stopped
just short of crossing the
finish line.
Church Services In Grant County
Come Worship with us at