The elk that has called Rogers City home for the last two autumns has been euthanized by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Affectionately known as Roger by local residents, the bull elk first appeared in the city for about three weeks last fall and appeared again this year with seemingly no intention of leaving. Rogers City Mayor Scott McLellan told WCMU that the elk had become very beloved in the community.
"We all just really enjoyed seeing him from time to time," McLellan said. "He became a local celeb, which was very cool."
McLellan went on to talk about how Roger had reportedly begun to become more aggressive towards people after going into rut.
"He was no longer skittish of humans because no one had ever hurt him," he explained. "The DNR has their policies. They certainly don't want human life in danger and they made the decision to euthanize Roger, who was again a very beloved figure in the community. So everyone's taking it pretty hard. We feel fortunate that Roger chose our city two years in a row and we'll never forget him, that's for sure."
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources did not respond to our request for comment.
Editor's Note: The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is a sponsor of WCMU. We report on them as we do with any other organization.
