MichelD
12-11-2006, 01:07 PM
Larry Pynn, Vancouver Sun
Published: Monday, December 11, 2006
In an age of declining species, one majestic animal is successfully defying the odds in the Lower Mainland region.
The reintroduction of Roosevelt elk to the upper Pitt River and Indian River is proving so successful that the B.C. Environment Ministry is hoping to complete two more transplants this winter, to upper Stave Lake and the upper Squamish River Valley.
"The elk recovery is going very well," Darryl Reynolds, senior wildlife biologist for the Sunshine Coast, said in an interview. "The populations are obviously fertile."
The elk's haunting bugle fell silent in the region after the species was shot out around 1900 for subsistence hunting. The ministry has been trying to change all that through a series of transplants that draw upon a booming herd on the Sunshine Coast as brood stock.
Ministry surveys show the 23 elk released in the upper Pitt two years ago has grown to 40 animals, with no sign of predation despite the presence of cougars, which are accustomed to hunting black-tailed deer in the area and apparently haven't yet figured out how to take down the larger elk.
Black bears also thrive in the upper Pitt, along with the occasional wolf and grizzly bear.
Lee MacGregor, who runs Pitt River Lodge with her husband, Dan Gerak, said the elk have spread throughout the valley and are most often seen in small herds.
"They seem to be quite comfortable," she said. "It's a big addition to tourism here in the valley. They don't seem to be too scared of people."
Another 20 elk released one year ago to the Indian River, at the top of Indian Arm, have increased to 27.
Reynolds said he would like to transplant another 20 elk this winter in the Ashlu Creek/Elaho River area, tributaries of the Squamish watershed, and another 20 to upper Stave Lake north of Mission.
Reynolds predicted a limited hunt on the new elk herds, including a subsistence hunt by aboriginals, in five to 10 years if the populations continue to grow.
Transplants typically occur in winter when elk can more easily be lured into corrals with alfalfa, molasses, apples, and a combination of corn, oats and barley, and when colder temperatures help prevent overheating of the animals.
Trucks and barges are used to transport them to remote locations.
Roosevelt elk -- Cervus elaphus roosevelti -- are about one-fifth larger than their Rocky Mountain cousins, at 225 kilograms and up for adult females, 500 kilograms and up for males.
Colour phases range from tawny to reddish brown and, unlike the Rocky Mountain elk, whose antlers are long, wide and sweeping, the spread of a Roosevelt elk's antlers can be quite narrow. Occasionally, the antlers consist of short, heavy, straightish beams that terminate in a short cluster or crown.
The animal takes its name from former U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt.
The province's Habitat Conservation Trust Fund, along with hunter groups and businesses, have assisted with the relocations.
lpynn@png.canwest.com
Published: Monday, December 11, 2006
In an age of declining species, one majestic animal is successfully defying the odds in the Lower Mainland region.
The reintroduction of Roosevelt elk to the upper Pitt River and Indian River is proving so successful that the B.C. Environment Ministry is hoping to complete two more transplants this winter, to upper Stave Lake and the upper Squamish River Valley.
"The elk recovery is going very well," Darryl Reynolds, senior wildlife biologist for the Sunshine Coast, said in an interview. "The populations are obviously fertile."
The elk's haunting bugle fell silent in the region after the species was shot out around 1900 for subsistence hunting. The ministry has been trying to change all that through a series of transplants that draw upon a booming herd on the Sunshine Coast as brood stock.
Ministry surveys show the 23 elk released in the upper Pitt two years ago has grown to 40 animals, with no sign of predation despite the presence of cougars, which are accustomed to hunting black-tailed deer in the area and apparently haven't yet figured out how to take down the larger elk.
Black bears also thrive in the upper Pitt, along with the occasional wolf and grizzly bear.
Lee MacGregor, who runs Pitt River Lodge with her husband, Dan Gerak, said the elk have spread throughout the valley and are most often seen in small herds.
"They seem to be quite comfortable," she said. "It's a big addition to tourism here in the valley. They don't seem to be too scared of people."
Another 20 elk released one year ago to the Indian River, at the top of Indian Arm, have increased to 27.
Reynolds said he would like to transplant another 20 elk this winter in the Ashlu Creek/Elaho River area, tributaries of the Squamish watershed, and another 20 to upper Stave Lake north of Mission.
Reynolds predicted a limited hunt on the new elk herds, including a subsistence hunt by aboriginals, in five to 10 years if the populations continue to grow.
Transplants typically occur in winter when elk can more easily be lured into corrals with alfalfa, molasses, apples, and a combination of corn, oats and barley, and when colder temperatures help prevent overheating of the animals.
Trucks and barges are used to transport them to remote locations.
Roosevelt elk -- Cervus elaphus roosevelti -- are about one-fifth larger than their Rocky Mountain cousins, at 225 kilograms and up for adult females, 500 kilograms and up for males.
Colour phases range from tawny to reddish brown and, unlike the Rocky Mountain elk, whose antlers are long, wide and sweeping, the spread of a Roosevelt elk's antlers can be quite narrow. Occasionally, the antlers consist of short, heavy, straightish beams that terminate in a short cluster or crown.
The animal takes its name from former U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt.
The province's Habitat Conservation Trust Fund, along with hunter groups and businesses, have assisted with the relocations.
lpynn@png.canwest.com