|
| They are hard at their summer's work of laying on hundreds of pounds of fat. |
|
| There are several stresses ahead that they are building themselves up to withstand. |
|
| The stress of the rut. The fighting, chasing, and the breeding if they're lucky. |
|
| They often lose their appetite when they're rutting, even if food is easily available. |
|
|
In cold climates they have to be insulated to bear the cold...they will lose
hundreds of pounds, but they need to make it last until spring warmth and
greenery arrive. Otherwise they'll freeze or get sick. |
|
| Food can be scarce in winter and they might have to endure starvation. |
|
| There is a good chance of injury in the fighting during the rut, and they need the resources to heal. |
|
|
They have, and are still investing a huge amount of physical resources into
building their enormous and magnificent antlers. It's almost like us
having to grow a new set of legs every year! |
|
|
All the above stresses tax their immune systems and make them more likely
to get diseases in the first place, or to make it more serious. Their
body fat is their portable energy source that they use as needed to withstand
the abuses to their systems that the breeding season and winter will deliver. |
| July 16 PAGE 1 July 16 PAGE 2 July 16 PAGE 3 | July 16 PAGE 4 July 16 PAGE 5 July 16 PAGE 6 | July 16 PAGE 7 ELK STAMPEDE ANIMALS |