Ithaca 37
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Elk numbers low in north Yellowstone
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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. — The northern elk herd in Yellowstone National Park remains at its smallest since 1988, primarily because of drought, wolves, severe winters and hunting.
Park officials said the count, conducted Dec. 18, found 8,335 elk in and around the park. In December 2002, researchers counted 9,215 elk.
The highest December count was in 1994, when 19,045 elk were found, said P.J. White, a park wildlife biologist.
The size of the herd has come under scrutiny since wolves were reintroduced to the park and the central Idaho wilderness in 1995 and 1996. Elk numbers have been dropping steadily since then.
White said Tuesday that wolf kills are one of the primary factors contributing to the herd´s decline since the mid-1990s. Other factors include five years of drought, big winter kills in 1996-97 and the shooting of thousands of animals during annual late hunts in Gardiner, Mont.
Edition Date: 01-08-2004
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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. — The northern elk herd in Yellowstone National Park remains at its smallest since 1988, primarily because of drought, wolves, severe winters and hunting.
Park officials said the count, conducted Dec. 18, found 8,335 elk in and around the park. In December 2002, researchers counted 9,215 elk.
The highest December count was in 1994, when 19,045 elk were found, said P.J. White, a park wildlife biologist.
The size of the herd has come under scrutiny since wolves were reintroduced to the park and the central Idaho wilderness in 1995 and 1996. Elk numbers have been dropping steadily since then.
White said Tuesday that wolf kills are one of the primary factors contributing to the herd´s decline since the mid-1990s. Other factors include five years of drought, big winter kills in 1996-97 and the shooting of thousands of animals during annual late hunts in Gardiner, Mont.
Edition Date: 01-08-2004
