Wild Minutes | Elk with Itchy Antlers | Lake Louise, Canada

Watch as this bull elk at Maligne Lake in Jasper National Park spends 15 minutes "thrashing" a young tree. This behaviour is known as antler rubbing or velvet rubbing. Bulls rub their antlers against trees and shrubs to shed the velvet (the soft skin that supplies blood during antler growth), polish and strengthen their hardened antlers, and mark their territory with scent from glands on their forehead. This persistent fellow didn't stop until he'd stripped every last branch and leaf, turning the tree into a bare stick. 📍 Location: Jasper, Canada