Think what an animal several hundreds pounds bigger than a deer can do to crops. There are additional concerns, said Parkhurst. The minimum viable stocking Parkhurst said he would recommend is 400 animals. The last eastern elk disappeared in the 1800s. In the late teens and early 20s, elk were stocked in Virginia, but they were from Yellowstone.
Eastern elk are extinct.
The Yellowstone animals remained in Virginia until 1970, then disappeared. New stockings, if approved, would involve western elk. A lot of others were happy to see them go. Elk recently have been introduced in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Michigan, Wisconsin and Arkansas. Even if Virginia decides not to stock elk, there is the likelihood that animals released in Kentucky will cross into Virginia, Parkshurst said.