Seven of the the nine adult females in the second batch of elk awaiting release in the Cataloochee Valley are pregnant, according to researchers.

Jennifer Murrow, the University of Tennessee graduate student who is monitoring the elk, said recent tests confirmed the pregnancies.

Murrow also said the second group of elk are much more “skittish” than the first group. These elk will be collared at the end of March and released during the first week of April.