A BEAR, ELK, AND WOMAN WALK INTO A BAR…

COREY, SERVER

ASPEN, CO

Corey, a bright and energetic young man, was working at a restaurant inside the world-famous Yellowstone National Park. He loved being outdoors, surrounded by wildlife—and the “tour-ons,” a nickname for tourist-morons. On one particularly packed day, Corey was working alongside Hank, an international hospitality intern from China. It was sweltering, chaotic, and the lunch rush brought a staggering 70-minute wait for the dining room. The heat and crowds were overwhelming.

As Corey managed the growing line, a woman from a large party looked visibly heat-stricken. While speaking with her, she suddenly collapsed in front of him and Hank. Stunned, they called for an ambulance. But before they could catch their breath, things outside got even wilder.

A crowd had gathered outside to watch a once-in-a-lifetime sight: an elk and a bear locked in a no-holds-barred fight. Elk don’t typically attack bears, so this was beyond unusual. Corey watched with the crowd in shock—until he spotted one of his coworkers, an older woman, walking dangerously close to the animal chaos on her way in for her shift. Before anyone could warn her, the elk attacked. Panic erupted. Bystanders rushed to help.

Then Corey remembered the unconscious woman inside. He ran back to check on her—but she was gone. When his manager asked where she was, Corey and Hank couldn’t explain. The manager, mid-call with emergency responders, assumed they had made the whole thing up. In broken English, Hank tried desperately to explain the bizarre series of events. Eventually, the chaos settled. Guests were seated and cared for, the elk was tranquilized and relocated, and the injured staff member was airlifted out of the park. It was a day Corey would never forget. Yellowstone had shown just how wild it could really get.