- CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Solving
a grim mystery that had baffled scientists across the country, researchers
have concluded that the recent deaths of a least 300 elk in southern Wyoming
were caused by a mossy plant native to the Rockies.
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- State wildlife veterinarians suspected lichen as the
culprit in the die-off after finding it in the stomachs of many dead elk.
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- To confirm their suspicions, three elk were fed the plant
at a research center. One collapsed and was unable to rise Sunday. A second
elk also started stumbling, and a third is expected to succumb quickly.
All three will be destroyed.
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- State officials had investigated a number of possible
explanations, including deliberate poisoning, for why elk were slumping
to the ground and could not get up. Many eventually died of thirst.
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- "We've answered the biggest and most important question:
What the heck is killing these elk?" Wyoming Game and Fish Department
spokesman Tom Reed said. "It's a huge relief for everyone involved."
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- The lichen, known as Parmelia molliuscula, contains an
acid that may break down muscle tissue, causing the elk to lose strength,
said Walt Cook, a Game and Fish veterinarian.
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- Native elk were not affected by the acid; those killed
in the die-off were apparently new to the area where the deaths occurred
and may have lacked microorganisms needed to neutralize the acid.
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- "Elk don't normally winter down ... where they ate
the lichen," Reed said. "But, for whatever reason, this year
they moved in there."
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- The first sick elk was found Feb. 6 and scientists quickly
ruled out chronic wasting disease, the deer and elk version of mad cow
disease. They also eliminated most viruses and bacteria, malnutrition,
exposure to heavy metals such as arsenic, and poisoning from a leaky gas
well or pipeline.
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- Wildlife experts drove into the rough country near the
Continental Divide and slogged through mud and melting snow to collect
plant specimens and elk droppings. For a time, researchers used a helicopter
at $900 an hour to search for afflicted elk.
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- Scientists will now look at how to prevent similar die-offs.
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- "There are a lot of factors we'll need to look at,"
Reed said. "Do elk eat this lichen in normal years? If so, why hasn't
this happened before? Does a long history of drought weigh in somehow?
If so, what are our management options in the future?"
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- The die-off, which killed as many as 5 percent of the
Sierra Madre herd's breeding females, will affect hunting quotas this fall
and could trigger wildlife policy changes, Reed said.
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- Other steps, such as improving range conditions to provide
healthier forage, will also be considered.
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- Wyoming Game and Fish Department: http://gf.state.wy.ushttp://gf.state.wy.us
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