Some wildlife at Northwest Trek acted unusually during Monday’s solar eclipse.
“We’re seeing some interesting behavior from the elk,” Marc Heinzman, zoological curator at the wildlife park near Eatonville, Washington, said. “Nervous maybe. They’re kind of taking off.”
Dave Meadows, one of the park’s animal keepers, tried to feed the elk, but to no avail.
“They don’t usually do what we just saw, which was turn and go the other direction,” Meadows said.
The most notable moment came at the height of the partial eclipse.
“Right when we were at the peak of the eclipse, is when the red wolves at the breeding facility on-site here all started howling and then the bison, they took off at the exact same time,” Heinzman said.
Other animals like deer, swans and ducks did not seem to be as impacted by the light change and drop in temperature.