Joe Rogan explains hilarious elk encounter and why they feel secure with humans as seen in Evergreen, Colorado

Among the many natural wonders and raw beauty of Yellowstone National Park, the elk behavior seems to be what piqued Joe Rogan's curiosity the most.

The elk at Yellowstone is habituated with human beings and seems to see human settlements as solace from the prying eyes of vicious predators. During episode #2213 of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Rogan shared a hilarious elk encounter he had at 'Wonderland', with wildlife biologist Diane K. Boyd:

"The elk was stage because... Elk understand that wolves don't come to these community centers. These areas where there are vending machines and buildings, so the elk are all over the place out there... I took a selfie with a cow elk that was like 40 feet from me, just lying there and she wasn't worried about me at all... It's weird that they have become so habitualized with cars and people. They just know it's safe when you're around these people."

The 57-year-old added that the elk in Yellowstone behaved similarly to those in Evergreen, Colorado where herds can sometimes be seen walking down the streets:

"They know there is no mountain lions in the middle of the street. So they just like in a rut, they are walking down the street. There is like 30 to 40 elk and they stop traffic and they are sitting on people's lawns, it's wild."

Check out Joe Rogan's comments below (34:06):

Boyd also pointed out another instance of animals getting habituated, noting that the wolves at Yellowstone, originally introduced from Canada. Moreover, they were initially aggressive to humans but have since become accustomed to human presence due to frequent interactions.

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When Joe Rogan addressed elk meat's bad reputation

Joe Rogan believes the "gamey" taste often attributed to venison is a result of improper cooking practices rather than an inherent characteristic of the meat itself.

During episode #1567 of the JRE, the UFC sportscaster offered to cook elk meat for his fellow comics Donnell Rawlings and Dave Chappelle. Chappelle then inquired if the meat would be "gamey", prompting Rogan to dispel rumors surrounding the elk meat, saying:

"No, it's not gamey. There is a weird taste that people associate with like venison, a gamey taste, and for the most part either it hasn't been prepared correctly or it wasn't taken care of correctly after the animal died. It's a different flavor, but I think what people associate it with, with not tasting good, I think a lot of that... is just bad preparation."

Check out Joe Rogan's comments below (0:20):

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