Thanks in part to funding provided by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, biologists in the
Great Smoky Mountains are trying to determine a more accurate size of the elk population.
“It’s really tough to do a population determination here in the mountains. People want to know how many elk we have. And the answer is we really don’t know. Some people think we have 150-plus, whatever ‘plus’ is,” Kim Delozier, RMEF conservation program manager, told WBIR-TV.
Researchers will examine wildlife connectivity along Interstate 40 in the Pigeon River Gorge of western North Carolina. Information gathered will better identify locations of elk-vehicle collisions and determine potential locations for wildlife overpasses or underpasses to improve safe passage for elk and black bears.
(Video source: WBIR-TV)