Elk walks into gift shop, stays 45 minutes

A Colorado gift shop owner got a surprise over the weekend when an elk decided to do some window shopping in his store.

Pratek Fhakya, owner of Water Wheel Gift Corner in Estes Park, told Fox 31 in Denver that he had the front doors propped open for customers on Saturday when he saw the large bull elk standing in the doorway. He was set to call 911 when he saw police officers already outside, trying to lure the elk away with some apples.

The plan worked -- initially. The elk came back a few minutes later and stuck around for 45 minutes. Video that Fhakya shot of the elk shows him standing around in the store among the hats, sunglasses, stuffed animals and other trinkets.

Fhakya told Fox 13 that he was worried about whether his insurance company would cover acts of elk, but that worry was for naught. The elk remained calm the entire time and did not mess up the store.

The store owner did say he would no longer keep his doors propped open for his human customers, the news station reported.

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