'Get Away!': Homeowner Uses Doorbell Cam To Scare Off Elk Eating His Flowers

EVERGREEN (CBS4) - A couple in Evergreen had an unexpected guest stop by while they weren't home, and it helped itself to a snack on their doorstep.

Rita and Chan, who didn't want to give their last names, live near Bergen Park.

Chan saw the Ring video when notified by the system's motion activation. You can see at least three animals in his yard in the video.

He was at work in the Denver Tech Center, 40 miles away and yelled at his computer, "Get away from there!"

"My workers all jumped up and looked at me, 'What did you do?'" he said.

It worked. You can see the female elk leave at the end of the video.

Rita was only a short distance from home and turned around. However, the damage was done.

"They eat everything," she said. "They've eaten all our flowers. They'd already emptied all our geranium, dahlias, pansies, petunias..."

"When you have a whole herd in your yard, and each one takes a bite, pretty much everything goes," Chan said.

It was a large herd on this day, perhaps 35 animals. Rita and Chan say they've seen as many as 80 before.

This happens often, even annually, but usually later in the year. Haven't decided if they're going to re-supply their plants.