Missouri used to have plenty of elk, but they were over hunted and disappeared from our state by 1865. Now, the MO Department of Conservation is in the midst of a project, begun in 2011, to restore the elk population in Missouri once again – at least in the southeastern part of the state.
With help from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, 150 cow and bull elk were released in early 2011. Prior to their release, as is normal protocol, the elk were held in pens in the states from which they were to come and tested for diseases. One of the diseases of concern for elk is chronic wasting disease, a transmittable infection that causes lesions on the brains of elk and deer. The disease is similar to mad cow, but is not transferrable to cows and other livestock. Still, we do not want the disease in Missouri where it will harm our deer population.
The Next Step
Once the disease testing was completed, they were then moved to a temporary facility within the designated restoration area here in Missouri. Here their health was further evaluated and they were given the chance to acclimate themselves to their new environment in Missouri. They were also fitted with radio collars and microchips so that their movements could be tracked.
The area for the re-settlement of the elk is a 346-square mile “zone” within and just surrounding the Peck Ranch Conservation Area in portions of Shannon, Reynolds, and Carter counties, because there is a large tract of public land, limited farming, and few toads. The landscape is perfect for elk as it is a good combination of forest and open woodland.
The Future
The elk will be monitored for both movement and population growth. Elk who wonder off of public land and onto private farms, etc. will be returned to the designated area. Population control efforts will occur by way of a hunting season. The goal is to maintain an ideal population for the amount of provided land, so that elk will not wander away where they may not be wanted.
It’s good to have elk back in Missouri after all of these years. Anything the Conservation Commission can do to restore Missouri wildlife to the types and populations before European settlers arrived will preserve Missouri’s historical heritage of wildlife.
lol. so elk have problems with toads???? hehe.