Edward Elk (Final); Roll, Tide!

I was a little disappointed in the Gentle Giants episode last night - there was some good footage of the Jackson Fork Ranch Percherons pulling their aubergine wagon in a six-horse-hitch - but the episode seemed mostly concerned with the conservation of Little Jackson Hole by the ranch owner and the owner's bison meat concern, rather than the Percherons themselves. But it was great to see the horses, and I hadn't realized that the champion six-horse-hitch was all mares. The owner of the ranch is joining forces with Windermere Percherons in Pennsylvania for a breeding program - it will be interesting to see the results!
  I'm going to write a bit more about the killing of Edward the Elk today; then, I'll only post updates about the investigations into his death. According to the Boulder Chief of Police, officer Sam Carter told the home owners on Mapleton Hill that he was going to "try to get rid of an aggressive wild animal" and not to be worried if they heard a shot; Carter shot and killed the elk the yard, using his police service-issued shotgun; Carter did not report to anyone, anywhere, in law enforcement or Department of Wildlife of the Fish and Game Commission that he had killed the elk. Officer Brent Curlew had been scheduled to work that Tuesday night, but called in sick. He is the off-duty BPD officer who brought his truck to the site of the elk's demise; he is also a licensed taxidermist, and has a web page stating that he does a "great job at affordable prices." The sheriff's officer who assisted in loading the elk into the truck received a phone call on his personal cell phone requesting his assistance to load the elk. Normally, a county sheriff's deputy would not be patrolling or working inside the Boulder city limits. Sam Carter called in sick the day/night after he killed the elk. The Boulder Police Chief said that if "either employee needs to be fired, be assured, he will be fired." Boulder Mayor Matt Applebaum asked if there would be a change in the BPD's protocol regarding injured wildlife. What Chief Mark Beckner said regarding his officers chilled me to the bone: "If they want to shoot something, protocol is not going to stop them." Doesn't that sound as if we all really do live in a gun-crazed society? - Please don't get me wrong. I'm not anti-gun; I know a lot of people who are responsible gun owners and hunters. I just found that single sentence a frightening perspective of our city, county, state, and country today...
   The Crimson Tide rolled last night... Three national championships in four years... Not bad, 'Bama!