SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (ABC4) — On Thursday, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall issued a temporary order which requires dogs to be on leashes in Parley’s Historic Nature Park — attributing it to a herd of elk currently residing in the park.
In the order, it states that the presence of off-leash dogs in the park is disturbing the elk herd, causing safety and health concerns for locals and their animals. As a result, the order entails that dogs must remain on a leash while in the park.
Recent weeks have seen dozens of elk in the park after they’ve migrated down from the foothills during recent above-average snowfall.
While visiting, park users are encouraged to use caution and maintain a safe distance from the wildlife there.
Per ordinance 15.10.060, all dogs are prohibited on the South Loop Trail and other protected areas within Parley’s Historic Nature Park.
This emergency order is the third issued under the Arctic Temperatures Local Emergency, signed on December 20, 2022.
In the first order, it waives certain city ordinances for overnight, overflow, and homeless shelter bed caps in the city. The second, signed on January 17, 2023, allowed for emergency overflow shelter beds in county-owned facilities under certain circumstances.
All three orders will be in effect for the entirety of the Arctic Temperatures Local Emergency, currently set to end on April 30, 2023.
