<< Back 10/16/02 Elk reintroduction will stay with current herd SMN Biologists at Great Smoky Mountains National Park have decided not to import any additional elk in 2003 to add to the almost 60 already roaming the Smokies. The decision is based upon a combination of good survival and low dispersal by the previously released animals and a lack of available elk from the park’s preferred source herd in Canada. In 2000 and 2001, a total of 52 elk were brought into the Smokies and later released into the Cataloochee Valley area of Haywood County. These elk are being monitored by biologists as part of a five-year experiment to find out if a permanent reintroduction is feasible. The experiment’s overall plan calls for three groups of elk totaling about 75 animals to be brought in over the first three years of the project. The park biologists have decided not to bring in the third group in 2003, but still may decide to release more animals in 2004. “Our decision not to bring in more elk until at least 2004 is partly a reflection that we have not had nearly the attrition we expected from the animals we have brought in,” said Kim DeLozier, the park’s wildlife biologist. “Out of a total of 52 animals released here over the first two years of the project, only five have died and none have wandered out of the park permanently.” Necropsies were performed on the elk that died and all were found to be negative for diseases of concern, including brucelosis, tuberculosis and Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). Three apparently died from malnutrition, probably due to the stress of captivity during their acclimation period in the Smokies. One animal was euthanized when it showed symptoms of a parasitic brainworm. The fifth elk was shot by biologists when it left the park and took up residence in a cattle pasture and could not be re-captured using tranquilizer darts. Another factor is the lack of animals available from Elk Island National Park in Alberta, Canada. The park prefers to obtain elk that originate from Elk Island because the elk population there has been isolated from other deer or elk for decades and has been closely monitored for disease. Project biologists feel that those factors greatly minimize the risk of bringing in animals infected with brucelosis, TB or CWD. “For this next year we will be kept pretty busy radio-tracking and observing the 50-plus adult elk we have already on the ground, along with their offspring that have been born in the Smokies,” DeLozier said. Biologists confirmed that four calves (three males and a female) born in 2001 survived their first critical months. One of these four, the only female, was found dead in Cataloochee last month from unknown causes. Her body was taken to The University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine for a necropsy, which so far has not isolated the cause of her death. Two calves were lost to predators last year. This summer at least two elk calves are confirmed to have survived with at least one more having been taken by a bear or bears. Biologists also suspect that there may have been up to three more calves that have survived that have not been sighted yet. According to primary field researcher Jennifer Murrow, all elk are being monitored daily. Murrow said several elk continue traveling to and from areas surrounding Cataloochee Valley, including Balsam Mountain, Cataloochee Divide, the Cherokee Indian Reservation, White Oak and Suttontown. Elk No. 22, the male that had traveled as far as Bridgeport, Tenn., has made his way back to Cataloochee. The bull traveled approximately 40 kilometers (24.8 miles), and his return coincided with the onset of this year’s breeding season. Elk No. 1 still appears to be the dominant bull in the valley, with a harem of approximately 10 cows. The nine other bulls residing in the Valley remain in their “bachelor group.” Smaller groups appear to have formed in areas outside the valley, such as the Suttontown community. “Overall we are very pleased with the progress of the elk project, including the reproductive success, especially since none of the elk brought in had been exposed to bears or other predators in their former homes,” said DeLozier. “And we would expect that, as they have more experience with predators, these cows will get more savvy about how to conceal and protect their calves in years to come.”