| Eastern elk | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Illustration of the extinct elk subspeciesCervus canadensis canadensis,John James Audubon 1847 | |
Extinct (1877) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Cervidae |
| Genus: | Cervus |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | |
| Trinomial name | |
| †Cervus canadensis canadensis (Erxleben, 1777) | |
Theeastern elk (Cervus canadensis canadensis) is anextinctsubspecies or distinct population ofelk that inhabited the northern and easternUnited States, and southernCanada. The last eastern elk was shot inPennsylvania on September 1, 1877.[1][2] The subspecies was declaredextinct by theUnited States Fish and Wildlife Service in 1880.[3] Another subspecies ofelk, theMerriam's elk, also became extinct at roughly the same time.
As of 2017, theInternational Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has reclassified all North American elk subspecies aside from thetule andRoosevelt elk asC. c. canadensis. If this is accurate, this means that the subspecies is not extinct, and has returned to the eastern U.S. in the form of theRocky Mountain elk, introduced to the region in the 20th century.[4]
A full-grown bull could weigh up to 1,000 pounds, stand 50-60 inches tall at the shoulder, and carry a rack of antlers six feet in length.
At the start of theEuropean colonization of the Americas in the late 15th century, elk were widespread inNorth America and could be found throughout most of the continent. Eastern elk inhabited the vast forests of theEastern Woodlands region as far west as theMississippi River. As people continued to settle in the region over the next few centuries, elk populations decreased due toover-hunting and the loss of their densewoodlandhabitat. NaturalistJohn James Audubon reportedly mentioned that by 1851, a few elk could still be found in theAllegheny Mountains, but that they were virtually gone from the remainder of their range. By the end of the 19th century, the eastern elk was completely extinct. What little is known about this race of elk has been gleaned from remains and historical references. Mitochondrial DNA studies in 2004 indicate thatCervus canadensis are a species distinct from European red deer.
Prehistoric evidence of eastern elk from 2500 years ago has been found inAlabama andDelaware. Eastern elk wereextirpated fromSouth Carolina in 1737,Georgia in 1770,North Carolina in 1780,Maryland andVermont in 1800,New Jersey in 1805,Arkansas andQuebec in 1830,Indiana andOhio in 1840,Louisiana in 1842,New York in 1847,Illinois andKentucky in 1850,Virginia in 1855,Tennessee in 1865,Pennsylvania in 1868,West Virginia andWisconsin in 1875,Michigan in 1880,Iowa in 1885,Minnesota in 1896, andMissouri in 1898.[contradictory]
Not long after the last elk was killed in Pennsylvania, federal officials, worried about mushrooming elk herds in and aroundYellowstone National Park, offered the animals to anyone willing to take them. The recently formedPennsylvania Game Commission took Yellowstone officials up on their offer, and launched a program to reintroduce elk to Pennsylvania. Starting in 1913 and ending in 1926, the Commission released 177 elk in 10 counties, including 50 animals from Yellowstone.[5] Currently, Pennsylvania's elk herd numbers more than 800 and their range covers approximately 800 square miles.[6][7]
In 1990,feasibility studies were conducted to determine if wild, free-ranging elk still had a place in some of their former eastern habitats. Once this was complete, healthy source herds ofRocky Mountain elk fromArizona,Kansas,New Mexico,North Dakota,Oregon,Utah andAlberta'sElk Island National Park were used to introduce elk back into the former eastern elk range.
Successful elk populations have now been introduced inArkansas (1991),[8]Wisconsin (1995),Ontario (2001),Kentucky,Tennessee andGreat Smoky Mountains National Park in 2002,Michigan in 1919, theMissouriOzarks (2011),[9] and in 2012Virginia.[10] In late 2016, elk were reintroduced into southernWest Virginia.[11] In addition, feasibility studies have also been completed inIllinois andNew York (although these have not yet resulted in any elk restorations).
It is possible that the subspecies may still be extant. In 1905, 18 elk were introduced toFiordland National Park inNew Zealand—a gift fromTheodore Roosevelt. The elk were survivors of an original shipment of 20, half of which came fromYellowstone National Park and half from an Indiangame reserve inBrookfield, Massachusetts, owned by H.E. Richardson. The latter are believed to be eastern elk captured in northern Minnesota byNative Americans. The possible eastern elk bloodline might explain some unusualcharacteristics he has seen in New Zealand elk, such as "bifurcated"antlers in which the dagger, or fourth point, forks at the tip.[12]
However, the likelihood of a purebloodline is very low. Even though the animal population had successfully adapted to the harsh terrain, several factors likely contributed to adilution of the puregene pool. To wit, removal of protection in 1935; thecrossbreeding withred deer that spread into the area; thegazetting of theFiordland region as anational park in 1952; and the resulting status of the elk and all introducedgame species being relegated to that ofnoxious animals, or pests, by the government agencies of the time has seen the wild herd go into decline. Today, that herd is but a shadow of its former self, being comprised now only of crossbreeds of varying degree that have defied the efforts ofgovernment agencies toexterminate or remove them from Fiordland.[13]
Eastern elk could have also hung on in the extensive forests ofOntario. While evidence is dubious, numerous people reported seeing a band of elk nearSault Ste. Marie, Ontario andSault Ste. Marie, Michigan in the early 1980s. These elk could be of eastern origin—and could still exist in the wilds of Ontario.[12]