Jeff Koenings, Ph.D.
Director

Jerry Gutzwiler
Chairman
Washington Fish &
Wildlife Commission
 

Saint Helens elk transfer benefits North Cascades herd
Posted January 2004

The elk were transferred from WDFW’s Mount St. Helens Wildlife Area in Cowlitz County to the North Cascade mountains between the Skagit and Nooksack rivers. The move was intended to bolster the dwindling North Cascades elk herd, which has declined in recent years, despite hunting closures and other measures aimed at restoring elk numbers.

WDFW staff and volunteers constructed a corral pen and loading structure on the department’s Mount St. Helens Wildlife Area for the capture. Two wing walls, each more than 1,000 feet long and approximately eight feet high, were built in a V-shape extending from the corral structure.

Two helicopters leased by WDFW slowly herded small groups of elk from the Mount St. Helens debris flow along the Toutle River into the corral structure.

Bull elk were not transferred. Instead, they were darted with a tranquilizer and removed from the corral.

Elk were moved one at a time through a “squeeze chute” where each animal could be safely held in place, allowing veterinarians to perform health checks, collect samples and give the animals vitamins. Each animal was given an identifying ear tag, while adult elk were also fitted with radio-transmitting collars.

After processing, elk were moved onto livestock trailers that had been modified to accommodate the animals. All windows and other light sources were covered to help keep the elk calm during the drive to the release site.

Biologists and volunteers will regularly check on the transplanted elk in their new home range by tracking transmission signals from the radio collars.

A second elk relocation effort is expected for October 2004. Relocation costs are being shared by WDFW and the tribes.

Groups participating in the effort were the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Mount St. Helens Preservation Society, Crown Pacific, and the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement.

Click Photo to Enlarge A small herd crosses the Toutle River.

Click Photo to Enlarge WDFW staff and volunteers complete construction of the wing walls and corral structure in the weeks leading up to the elk capture and relocation effort.

Click Photo to Enlarge The helicopters herd the elk between the wing walls and toward the corral trap.

Click Photo to Enlarge A group of 15 elk runs toward the corral trap in this view taken from one of the helicopters used in the capture. The bull near the back of the group was tranquilized in the corral and returned to the Mount St. Helens Wildlife Area.

Click Photo to Enlarge Captured elk cool down in the corral after being herded into the structure by helicopters. Each animal was moved through a squeeze chute so veterinarians could perform health checks and workers could place identifying ear tags on all animals and transmitting collars on the cows. Elk were then loaded into darkened livestock trailers.

Click Photo to Enlarge A cow elk’s head is held still by a volunteer, while veterinarians perform a health check on the animal. The elk has already been fitted with a radio-transmitting collar and identifying ear tag. The hood helps to calm the animal.

Click Photo to Enlarge A bull elk revives on the Mount St. Helens Wildlife Area after being tranquilized in the corral trap. Only cow and juvenile elk were targeted for relocation to the North Cascades. The red ear tag warns prospective hunters that a powerful tranquilizer was used on the animal and advises them to call WDFW before consuming the elk.

Click Photo to Enlarge A livestock trailer with a full load of elk leaves the capture site and begins the trip north to the Nooksack area. All trailers had their windows covered to help keep the animals calm during the drive.