Elk named 'Bob' makes big positive impact in small Vancouver Island town
CTV
Wendy Stokes is waiting on her front porch, along the main road in Youbou, B.C., for the arrival of Bob, who she calls 'the icon of Youbou.'
“Bob is just the icon of Youbou,” Wendy says.
Bob has been regularly visiting Wendy for years.
“I’ll sit outside and have my coffee and I’ll talk to him,” Wendy says. “He’ll make this neigh sound and I’ll do it back.”
Bob — by the way — is an elk.
“One time on the porch, he sneezed. I got it all over. Maybe that’s a blessing, to get sneezed by an elk,” Wendy smiles. “My grandson thought that was really funny.”
Bob leads a herd of Roosevelt elk that live full time in this former mill town. The gang includes Dennis, Mr. Hollywood (because of his “movie-star good looks”) and Howard.
“Right now we call (Howard) Hammock-head,” Wendy says. “Because he has a hammock stuck on his antler on one side.”
She adds that it doesn’t seem to be causing Howard any harm, and his antlers will naturally fall off in the spring (along with the hammock).
