Is the Phantom striped elk real? World's rarest elk in Wyoming claim debunked

A rare striped elk is going viral on Facebook. The Facebook page Casper Planet stated in a viral post that the elk, which supposedly has been named Phantom striped elk, was recently discovered by a hunter. The post has gone viral on the platform, garnering nearly 8,000 reactions.

The Facebook post claimed that the striped elk was not part of any "scientific or folklore database" and was allegedly known only to the Wyoming locals. They seemingly believed that it was able to teleport to escape hunters.

The page reported that the elk was first spotted ten years ago, and its body would reportedly be displayed at the state museum.

The rare animal would also be allegedly sent for "genetic testing" to test its unique stripes that resembled a tiger.

"The elk, instantly recognizable by its strange tiger-like stripes and massive antlers, had been the subject of whispered campfire tales since it was first spotted ten years ago. Its tracks were often found in places thought unreachable, leading some to joke that the animal could teleport. Wildlife historians are calling this a once-in-human-history harvest," the Facebook post stated.

The Phantom striped elk news is fake, as there is no such animal. The Facebook page, Casper Planet, is known for making satirical articles using AI-generated images. In the about section of the page, it is mentioned that all the information is made up.

"Delivering the Snews that doesn’t matter directly to your Snews feed. Did we say this is satire? Well, it is, names/locations are made up," the page stated.

More information on Casper Planet, the Facebook page that made up the Phantom striped elk story

Justin Hathaway, the man behind the satirical page Casper Planet, gave an interview with Cowboy State Daily in July 2025. Hathaway shared that writing is not his main job, as he has been an oil field worker for the last 15 years.

Justin stated that the Wyoming-based page started in 2017 when he had "beef" with a local news agency. He disagreed with the agency, and in order to show them how their job was not difficult, he created Casper Planet. The page now has over 95,000 followers.

The oil field worker said that he found writing "fun" and kept doing it. At first, he wrote three stories per day. However, now he writes one satirical post every day.

"I've worked full-time in the oil fields for the last 15 years. I started with a beef, realized how fun it was, and I went with it... But it's pretty exhausting, so I stick with one [story] per day," Justin Hathaway said.

Along with the Phantom striped elk, Justin had written parody posts about a Colorado man being attacked by a wolf pack, an ancient city underneath Wyoming's Horse Peak mountain, a root system under Wyoming's Devil's Tower, a Micky Mouse mascot drop-kicking a child, etc. However, he avoids politics.

The page's owner stated that a large number of people end up believing his stories and become upset. Justin even claimed he argued with the leader of the Flat Earth Society.

"There are a lot of people arguing about how real my stories are, and I'm not sure where that comes from. They don't believe it's fake, but it's right there at the top of the page; it's satire. All names and locations are made up," Justin stated.

The founder of the Casper Planet page shared that his first Facebook story, about the giant root system, became his most popular post. It garnered over 105,000 reactions, 245,000 shares, and 67,000 comments.

Justin claimed that his stories related to animals end up with people alerting the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and he had to speak with them a few times.

However, Justin Hathaway stated that he would continue writing stories for Casper Planet as he enjoys it. Stay tuned for more updates regarding such viral stories.