Woman, 83, recovering after being attacked by elk

83-Year-Old Woman Attacked By Elk Survives

A woman is recovering after trying to help an elk calf through a fence and getting injured by its mother.

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Jeri Longenbaugh was awakened by her dogs barking around 2 a.m. Aug. 10 and found an elk calf was inside her fenced yard, KNXV reported.

Longenbaugh, 83, went outside to unlatch the gate and coax the calf out but was soon confronted by its mother, she told KNXV.

"She trampled my head and stomped on me all over my body, my leg has 17 stitches," Longenbaugh told KNXV.

Longenbaugh has lived in the area for 34 years and frequently has been in the yard with elk. She is more apprehensive to do that now.

"Don't trust them," Longenbaugh told KNXV. "They're wild animals, they'll protect their young at all cost -- even if you mean them no harm."