A bull elk visited the Tri-Cities last week, but then got a ride courtesy of Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife police to the Hanford Reach National Monument northwest of the Tri-Cities.
Richland residents started snapping photos of the animal Sept. 18 near Hanford High School.
Cheyenne LaViolette was driving down a hill toward Hanford High when she saw the elk that morning just before she reached George Washington Way.
She was shocked to see the animal in the city, she said.
"He was just staring at me," she said, but as she scrambled to take a picture he turned away.
She called police, concerned that such a huge animal appeared to be ready to cross George Washington Way, potentially hurting himself and anyone in a car that might hit him.
It was not the only call police received that morning about the elk. One of LaViolette's co-workers at the school told her she also called.
Then last Saturday, golfers in Pasco interrupted their game to stop and watch what appeared to be the same elk trotting across the Sun Willows Golf Course, silhouetted against the skyline.
On Sunday morning, the elk was spotted on the other side of Interstate 182 at the Goodwill parking lot on Court Street in Pasco.
At that point Fish and Wildlife officers were called.
"Whether the elk took a wrong turn or just wanted to do some thrifting is still unclear," the agency joked on social media.
One person had seen the elk wander off to a nearby orchard. Fish and Wildlife officers found him enjoying the yard of Trevor Macduff.
Fish and Wildlife police were concerned about the elk's safety, given interstate and other traffic.
They also were concerned that he could be a danger to people. Bull elk weigh an average of 600 to 700 pounds.
There were reports of people and a dog that got close to the elk, said Becky Elder of the agency.
Fish and Wildlife officers tranquilized the elk in Macduff's yard to immobilize him and then pulled him on a tarp to load him into an enclosed trailer for a ride out of town.
His 2-by-3 point antlers were removed to prevent the elk from harming himself in the trailer.
Once on national monument land, another drug was used to reverse the immobilization and he was released.
The elk, with a new yellow tag on his ear, is shown with antlers missing and his teeth showing in what looks like a grin in a Fish and Wildlife social media post.
The tag will be used to follow the elk and see if he again visits an urban area, Elder said. Fish and Wildlife officials also wanted to track him because of the drug in his system.
At times male elk will head out on their own, Elder said.
There is no way of knowing for certain where the elk came from, but about 1,600 elk roam Department of Energy Hanford site land, including the Arid Lands Ecology Reserve of the national monument, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife estimates.
The reserve south of Highway 24 and west of Highway 240 includes Rattlesnake Mountain. The elk also cross Highway 240 and are commonly seen roaming the former production portion of the nuclear reservation down to the Columbia River.
Fish and Wildlife says people who come upon an elk should give it space to retreat.
No wildlife should be fed, to make sure they stay wild, Elder said.
For injured or dangerous wildlife incidents, call Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife Police at 877-933-9847.
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