Estes Park saw an “unprecedented” number of elk attacks that within a cluster of days sent three people — two of them children — to the hospital.

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife said aggressive behavior from elk is quite common during calving season. But their geographical proximity, the nature of the attacks and the fact that they happened in such brief successions made them “unprecedented,” a wildlife officer said.

The first attack occurred in the afternoon of May 30, when an eight-year-old girl was riding her bike in Estes Park and a female elk, who was about 60 yards away, charged at and stomped on her multiple times.

The girl sustained injuries that sent her to the hospital.

Less than a week later, on June 3, an elk attacked an even younger child, a four-year-old boy playing near Stanley Park. There were two elk hidden nearby, and one of them charged at the boy and stomped on him multiple times. He, too, went to the hospital.

Then on Friday, a woman walking her dog attempted to run behind a tree when an elk from about 20 yards away began charging at her. The elk stomped and kicked her several times. The woman sought medical treatment.

“Our thoughts are with the individuals after these very frightening experiences,” said Kate Miller, a spokesperson for Estes Park.

Aggressive behavior from elk is quite common during calving season, when  mothers become “highly protective of their calves that are not yet able to stand,” said Kara Van Hoose, a spokesperson for the state wildlife agency.

“They tend to be overprotective, oversensitive, and they can be the aggressors in a situation to protect their calves,” Van Hoose said.

So what made the attacks “unprecedented”?

“We typically see cases where elk charge when people are getting too close or taking pictures of the elk, but in these particular cases, the people attacked were not even aware of the elk nearby,” Van Hoose noted.

“It’s unprecedented in that we had three stompings in eight days, all of which were not due to people deliberately trying to get closer,” added Jason Duetsch, an area wildlife manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

A combination of factors might be causing the elk to be more aggressive than usual, the wildlife officers said.

“We have a lot of wildlife, and we have a lot of people, and we all have to occupy the same space,” Van Hoose said.

Estes Park Mayor Gary Hall cautioned against using the word “unprecedented,” saying he would rather call the attacks “happenstance.”

“I wouldn’t say there’s fears for the town or anyone in it. The time of birthing is almost over and the aggression subsides quickly after that,” Hall told The Denver Gazette in an email.

Hall also said the town has been pushing out information to local residents and visitors to Estes Park about safety around elk and other wild animals.

The Estes Park Police Department carefully monitors the area for potentially dangerous situations with elk and the officers take every opportunity to speak to people about safety, Miller, the town spokesperson, said.

The local police department does not keep official statistics of elk attacks, nor bear attacks — that’s from CPW — but authorities noticed the number of attacks in rapid succession. They also noted that the attacks occurred within just a few miles — the second and third attacks were less than a mile apart.

Wildlife officials said authorities regularly close some trails or spaces during calving season to allow the elk enough space and keep the public safe.

Meanwhile, the state wildlife agency has placed warning signs throughout the town to let people know about aggressive elk in the area.

“If you see a doe, cow elk, or cow moose, give them plenty of space because calves are often nearby, and their mothers hide them extremely well,” said Duetsch. “We cannot predict the extent to which a wild animal will react to protect young.

“It’s really key when you’re in Estes Park and in the Front Range to have a heightened awareness of elk that might be nearby,” added Van Hoose. “Know that attacks are a possibility when you’re out and be on the defensive.”

Editor’s note: This story originally contained inaccurate information saying Estes Park Police Department keeps statistics on bear attacks. It does not. The Colorado Parks and Wildlife does.