IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — Hunters have fanned out across eastern Idaho in pursuit of about 100 selectively bred elk from a commercial game farm that officials fear could spread disease and introduce genetic defects among wild Rocky Mountain elk, including a prized herd in Yellowstone National Park, just eight miles away.
Idaho's governor recently authorized a "depredation hunt" of the escaped elk, the first time such a hunt has been ordered, according to state wildlife officials. Authorities in neighboring Wyoming and Montana said they had given game wardens orders to shoot the domestic elk on sight. So far about two dozen of the escaped elk have been shot by hunters; tissue samples are being taken from the carcasses and tested for disease and genetic history.
"Time is of the essence; we have to try to get these animals back," said Steve Schmidt, regional state fish and game director. "They are a huge unknown to us. Any introduction of new genes might have unknown consequences. The risk is large because we are not only talking about Idaho's elk herd, but now we are also talking about elk who have the potential to mix with Yellowstone Park elk and elk from Wyoming. We have dreaded this day."
The 10,000 to 15,000 elk in Yellowstone's resident herd for many years have been used as genetic feedstock to replenish herds elsewhere in the Rockies.
But distinguishing between the ranch-bred and wild elk may be difficult because the escaped animals are only identifiable by metal ear tags that are smaller than state rules require, according to officials at the Idaho State Department of Agriculture, which regulates game farms.
The ear tags and fence maintenance are among several issues for which ranch operator Rex Rammell has been cited in recent years. Porous fences, officials said, also allow wild animals to get into commercial pens and breed with captive stock.
Rammell's elk fled through a damaged fence. The animals were raised on the 160-acre Chief Joseph Idaho game ranch, which Rammell owned until recently, where they were part of a herd selectively bred for large antlers, kept behind fences, and then shot during private hunts by clients who paid up to $6,000.
Wildlife biologists say that because commercial elk are bred for a single trait, massive antlers, they may not be hardy enough to survive in the wild -- a weakness that could be transmitted to wild elk. Officials are especially concerned about the prospect of interbreeding now, at the height of the mating season.
