Move over the Metchosin one, there’s a new Jesse Roper in town – well, in Youbou, actually.
The community nestled on the shores of Lake Cowichan has long honoured its wildlife, with many an elk becoming local celebrities.
Residents are accustomed to them wandering the roads and yards, and getting tangled in some intriguing items during the rut, or mating season.
For years, a Roosevelt bull named Bob captured the hearts of the community, which mourned the frequently-photographed animal after it died after a vehicle collision earlier this year.
Enter Jesse Roper.
The Youbou one, not The Metchosin One – an affectionate nickname given to singer-songwriter who hails from the West Shore district of the same name.
“It’s the rut right now and the elk are a little bit precocious right now, getting into more trouble than they normally do,” explained Youbou resident Monica Ash, who knew Bob well. “We usually name the elk if they’re highly recognizable.”
Residents noticed one particularly rambunctious fellow – who wasn’t named yet – had some rope around his antlers in a way that got them worried. As is par for the course in Youbou, folks called conservation to make sure the elk was OK.
“We always look after the elk, we care about wildlife in the area,” Ash said.
The observation sparked online commentary on the community Facebook page, where someone decided he should be called Jesse Roper.
“People adopted it and he’s very well known in our community now. We’re all looking out for Jesse Roper,” Ash said. “They’re both Island staples, elk and Jesse Roper – now there’s two.”
The rope issue resolved itself, as did the hacksaw elk Jesse Roper managed to get into a tangle with earlier in the rut, which lasts from August to mid-October.
Currently on tour in the U.S., Jesse Roper and The Pretty Good Band performs on home turf Nov. 22 in a sold-out show at the Royal Theatre in Victoria. A second show has been added for Nov. 21.
That doesn’t stop the tunesmith from catching up on social media, where he found a post about his elk namesake.
“When I first heard the moniker ‘the Metchosin One’ I was honoured and almost kinda shy about the title,” Roper wrote on social media. “The things you don’t see coming along the path you chose for yourself are often the most interesting. Recently, I’ve seen my name popping up attached to this big handsome elk and I like it. Apparently he had rope wrapped around his antlers so the locals in Youbou named him Jesse Roper. May he live long and make many mini elks.”
