Elk in downtown Loveland draw fans

LOVELAND - Five bull elk drew crowds to downtown Thursday morning.

The animals ambled across a school's basketball courts, meandered across streets and cruised across lawns, stopping here and there for a nibble on trees or grass.

"My dog started barking at 6 a.m. I looked out and saw a big head of antlers," said Mark Johnson.

See more photos and video of the elk at the Reporter-Herald website.

Eric Rollison has seen the elk regularly during the last couple of years. "We call them the Lords of Loveland. They follow the river down. It's beautiful to see them this far into town. They're pretty magnificent creatures," he said.

Jennifer Churchill, of Colorado Parks and Wildlife, said the elk have been residents in the area since 2002.

"We would ask that people respect their space and get photos from a great distance," Churchill said. Elk are large and can be dangerous if agitated. She said that any time an animal changes behavior, you're too close.