Elk are a presence in the Jasper community year-around.
But the same elk that thrill visitors from around the world are a source of growing concern in the community. The answers to these questions are all linked to the challenge of locating a town in the middle of a national park, and in the Athabasca valley. Elk are a native species. They were nearly wiped out in the area now as Jasper National Park in the 1890s. Park managers gave their numbers a boost in 1920 by importing 88 Rocky Mountain elk from Yellowstone National Park.