Kelowna family witnesses elk migration from backyard

A Kelowna family filmed hundreds of elk migrating on the eastern edge of the Okanagan city near residential neighbourhoods Tuesday morning.

Kyla Irmen’s 4-year-old daughter spotted the migration shortly after 7 a.m., making for an exciting start to spring at their home in Tower Ranch.

“She was yelling to my husband, Tyson and I, ‘Deer! Deer! Look at all the deer!,”Irmen said. “We all ran outside and I luckily got the video while we all watched.”

As they watched the herd, they realized the animals were elk.

“My husband and I have seen this migration before,” Irmen said. “Usually it’s in the winter but earlier, like in January or February. And it is usually early in the morning around 4:30 or 5 a.m.”

A nearby fruit orchard to the west on Latta Road called Global News Tuesday morning after finding extensive damage from elk or moose.

“Whole trees are empty… there are no buds in there. They ate all the buds and stuff, and I don’t know what to do,” orchard owner Surjit Nagra told Global News.

READ MORE: ‘Whole trees are empty’: animals feast on Kelowna apple orchard, costing thousands

Irmen sent the video of the elk to Global News late Tuesday afternoon.

“We are very lucky to have seen this,” she said. “It is an amazing sight of nature at its finest!”