Photo stories

Photo Stories: The boys are back in town

The residents of Mammoth Hot Springs, a sleepy outpost in Yellowstone, America’s oldest national park, share their oasis with a fifty-strong herd of wild cow elk, or wapiti. The lush green lawns and the reluctance of predators to enter the town make Mammoth a haven for the elegant females who spend the whole year peacefully rubbing shoulders with their human guardians.

But come the fall - the annual rutting period for elk - the quiet town is besieged. Testosterone-fuelled bulls arrive seeking female companionship but they don’t come alone. An army of camera-toting tourists who are prepared to risk life and limb to record the event, are in tow. Until recently, the two species co-existed in relative harmony. But things have changed…