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Elk survive journey to new home
By:GREG WILKERSON, Mountain Press
January 28, 2002
Great Smoky Mountains National Park increased its elk population by 27 Saturday when the second group of the large animals were released into an acclimation pen in the Cataloochee Valley.
The elk made the 2,200 mile trip to the Smokies from Elk Island National Park in Canada in under three days. The trip was more stressful on the elk than last year's much shorter trek from Land Between the Lakes in west Kentucky.
All the elk made the 54-1/2 hour trip without injury and ran out of their transportation trailer Saturday morning into their new home.
"These animals are a little bit more wild" than last year's group, Park spokeswoman Nancy Gray said.
The area they came from in Canada had 40,000 secluded acres for the elk to roam in and they didn't see many people, if any.
Park staff and researchers will watch the elk closely for the first week to make sure the stress of the trip doesn't kill any of the new arrivals.
The 27 animals includes 19 females, 12 to 14 of which are old enough to be pregnant. Their pregnancy tests were still at the lab when the elk arrived. Eight of the elk from last year's bunch arrived pregnant.
The elk made it to Cataloochee Valley at about 10:30 p.m. Friday, and waited in the trailers until morning when they could be released in daylight.
"They probably were getting a little stir crazy," Park spokesman Bob Miller said.
The trip down from Elk Island included a stop off at LBL for a delivery of 13 new elk. It also included an unscheduled stop in South Dakota where the group's RV broke down. The RV was part of the convoy to give drivers a place to sleep. They were forced to keep going without it so the elk's trip would be as short as possible.
Elk releases like this one are "just so important," said Brian Provo, wildlife relocation coordinator for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, one of the partners in the elk release program. "Not only to the people here," but also because it creates another group of elk in the nation.
"It's so critical to have the diversity," Provo said.
Eventually, the Smokies herd will produce another genetic pool of animals for other locations to pull from.
Twenty-five elk were brought to the Smokies on Feb. 2, 2001, as part of a five-year study to determine if a reintroduction is possible.
At least 25 more will be brought next year to bring the total introduced to more than 75. They will then be studied for two additional years.
Of the first group, only one died during the first year, and three were born. The cause of death for the one that didn't make it was never determined; however, it was believed to have been the result of a brain worm. Several elk from the first group were pregnant and lost their calves during birth or soon after to a predator like a coyote or bear.
"We couldn't be happier" with the first year's success, said Jennifer Morrow, the University of Tennessee graduate student who works with the animals on a daily basis. Although she is still "waiting for the bomb to drop."
Morrow treats the project as scientifically as possible.
"I try and maintain my objectivity," she said. She is collecting research data for five years before determining the project's success. "I'll definitely go by what the data says."
The elk are located in the Cataloochee Valley in North Carolina off Interstate-40 at exit 20. The valley saw twice as many visitors in 2001 than normal.
Greg Wilkerson can be reached at gregw@themountainpress.com
By:GREG WILKERSON, Mountain Press
January 28, 2002
Great Smoky Mountains National Park increased its elk population by 27 Saturday when the second group of the large animals were released into an acclimation pen in the Cataloochee Valley.
The elk made the 2,200 mile trip to the Smokies from Elk Island National Park in Canada in under three days. The trip was more stressful on the elk than last year's much shorter trek from Land Between the Lakes in west Kentucky.
All the elk made the 54-1/2 hour trip without injury and ran out of their transportation trailer Saturday morning into their new home.
"These animals are a little bit more wild" than last year's group, Park spokeswoman Nancy Gray said.
The area they came from in Canada had 40,000 secluded acres for the elk to roam in and they didn't see many people, if any.
Park staff and researchers will watch the elk closely for the first week to make sure the stress of the trip doesn't kill any of the new arrivals.
The 27 animals includes 19 females, 12 to 14 of which are old enough to be pregnant. Their pregnancy tests were still at the lab when the elk arrived. Eight of the elk from last year's bunch arrived pregnant.
The elk made it to Cataloochee Valley at about 10:30 p.m. Friday, and waited in the trailers until morning when they could be released in daylight.
"They probably were getting a little stir crazy," Park spokesman Bob Miller said.
The trip down from Elk Island included a stop off at LBL for a delivery of 13 new elk. It also included an unscheduled stop in South Dakota where the group's RV broke down. The RV was part of the convoy to give drivers a place to sleep. They were forced to keep going without it so the elk's trip would be as short as possible.
Elk releases like this one are "just so important," said Brian Provo, wildlife relocation coordinator for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, one of the partners in the elk release program. "Not only to the people here," but also because it creates another group of elk in the nation.
"It's so critical to have the diversity," Provo said.
Eventually, the Smokies herd will produce another genetic pool of animals for other locations to pull from.
Twenty-five elk were brought to the Smokies on Feb. 2, 2001, as part of a five-year study to determine if a reintroduction is possible.
At least 25 more will be brought next year to bring the total introduced to more than 75. They will then be studied for two additional years.
Of the first group, only one died during the first year, and three were born. The cause of death for the one that didn't make it was never determined; however, it was believed to have been the result of a brain worm. Several elk from the first group were pregnant and lost their calves during birth or soon after to a predator like a coyote or bear.
"We couldn't be happier" with the first year's success, said Jennifer Morrow, the University of Tennessee graduate student who works with the animals on a daily basis. Although she is still "waiting for the bomb to drop."
Morrow treats the project as scientifically as possible.
"I try and maintain my objectivity," she said. She is collecting research data for five years before determining the project's success. "I'll definitely go by what the data says."
The elk are located in the Cataloochee Valley in North Carolina off Interstate-40 at exit 20. The valley saw twice as many visitors in 2001 than normal.
Greg Wilkerson can be reached at gregw@themountainpress.com
