A 31-hour, 2,000-mile trip is over for 51 elk transported from Arizona to West Virginia. They’re now on the ground in a holding pen in the Mountain State.
Still under quarantine, the animals will remain in the holding pen on the grounds of the Tomblin Wildlife Management Area for 85 days to undergo additional testing assuring that they remain disease-free. A release date is expected in the latter half of May.
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation provided both funding and volunteer manpower to assist the cross-country effort.
And thanks to collaborative teamwork, more elk are back on the ground of their native West Virginia range for the first time in more than 140 years.
(Photo source: Arizona Game and Fish Department)