Recently we told you about a wandering elk from North Carolina’s Maggie Valley herd who had split up from the main group and was traveling across the state. Biologists in the region suggested he was likely doing what any teenager would do at this time: searching around for a female.
Unfortunately, as reported by the Smoky Mountain News, that same elk ended up in a collision with a minivan. While nobody in the car was hurt, the elk needed to be euthanized.
District biologist Justin McVey addressed the concerns as to why the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission decided not to relocate the young bull back to the Maggie Valley herd. Stating various reasons, McVey primarily addressed that moving the animal could prove strenuous this time of year due to heat and the velvet status of his antlers. Read the full story here.