The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1920-01-14

ICF years now II UtAi,E eHdEteu, say D
. bulletin from the Washington head
quarters Of the National Geographic
society.
The American elk is being driven
from his hast stronghold in Yellow
stone National, park. at the top Of
the United States, and faces slaughter,
freezing and starvation in the border-
lands to the north and south of the
| tsndenk Of Yellowstone National Park,
who II keenly alive to the great
danger. furnished the material for
this builatin.
| The menace to the elk arises be-
eauAo Of the unprecedented early
winter this year. On October 81 oc-
CURED the worst snow storm Yellow
Etann= Park has kaawn since ane lar
| later In the season. In January 1881.
The elk's existence depends upon his
| freedom to wander from the highland
srAws to the shelter and forage Of
thA valleys below. The early blizzard
dYeve him outside the protection OF
| the HAtianAl reservation into the
| rnid&t OF the open season for hunting
| In the two adjacent states.
The southern herds followed the
| rivers, which flow out of Yellowstone
I In all dtSeetion to the famous Jack
son Hole country. once the haunt of
! bandits and cattle thieves, where hu-
man life now Ia safe. hut where this
| self-sAme influx Of civilization spells
I death for the elk. The northern herds
I, descended into the Montana border
| lands where settlements have flung a
Wild animal barrier across the edge
of the park.
| wholesale shooting OF the elk was
the first consequence. Much of this
shooting. according to reports re-
| eeiyed in Washington, did little credit
to workmanship. Marksmen did not
trouble to follow and capture animals
they had wou nded. Their sheltered
| life In the national reservation has
made the elk tame: and they wan
dered into many backyard TO find
| unexpected enemies. II is estimated
that between 5000 and 10000 elk al
ready have been killed off. -----
| But this shooting does not mark
the climax Of the tragedy. As noted,
| the settlements have cut or the graz
ing lands. There is some provision
for the southern herds, though Woe
fully Inadequate, but practically none
for the northern herd.
The protection afforded the elk
which strayed into Wyoming Is that
OF the stats game preserves, known
as the Hoodoo. Shoshone and Teton.
Further protection IL that afforded in
. limited way by the winter elk refuge
at Jackson. wyo.. founded by the bio
logical survey. There hay is raised
for feeding the elk. but far from
enough is on hand for the feeding
of the thousands forced out Of the
park, and even out of the reservations,
by the early winter. The severity oil
the weather may be gagged from the
fact that snow was from fifteen inches
to four feet deep. and the tempera-
trro went TO s below zero In some 10.
ealitieA
TN ordinary winters the animals
! remain In the park, I'm more severe
ones. when the cold and SHOWS come
late, ~the preserves and the refuge
have taken cares of many of them
! They did not come down until after
the expiration Of the open seasons for
kUnttng-Deecmbcr l in Wyoming
! IS in.NontAna-
ALREADY steps arc being taken. In
the face Of this critical emergency. Il
save the elk, Just as the native India n
} the indigenous buffalo, and those in
sersate patriarehs, the seqaeia trees
were saved in time to avoid their COM
plete determination.
These efforts have threshold Oh.
j<ctive. The nrst looks toward the in
clusion Of the great game preserve
about the Teton ranGs and the head
waters Of the Yellowstone, an area oil
sonne 1.2eo square miles, in Yellow
stone park. Incidentally. the hayer
afforded for the elk fs but one argu-
raent for this addition to the park
shown the region south of Yellow
stone to be land Of natural beauty
and more rugged scenery than the
. marvellous wonders OF the Yellowstone
itself.
/ IAN effort 10 being made to enlarge
the elk refuge, SO that when the ami
mails arc driven even farther south
than the park addition would extend
1 they still may be cared for despite the
! ~ e6cet looks toward = similar farm
In Montana. Agitation for more
ser1ngent state game laws, which
4 w0ald include protection of females
Z MARKS another possible phase of the
movement
i '.Oncs the elk was. the widest
ranger among American hoefed game
animals. From Canada to points near
\ what now II the Mexican border, and
I from eastern seaboard to the Pacific
q coast. the elk, like the buffalo, made
I itself perfectly at home at sea level
or atop the timherline of mountain
peaks. But 1t did 30 by moving with
4 th4 cnan8F OF season, fafher than by
adapting itself to its environments
and burrowing through the snow. as
IT. cousin. the baffaio. Is mere willing
!. to do.
In describing the elk. the bulletin
& quotes from wild Animals of North
America" q publication Of the Ma
ticnal Geographic society. as follows;
by curious transposition OF
names the early settlers applied to the
American wapiti the term elk. which
6Nlongs to the European representa-
tive OF our moose Our elk is close
{ relative of the European stag. It Is
the handsomcst and. next to the
moose. the largest member of the
deer family In America The old
r bulls. weighing 500 pounds, bear
@pArh, widely branched antlers
I whtch give them picturesque and
noble mien. This Is the only Ameri-
can deer, which has a well-marKed
light rump patch. The young, mum
boring from one to three. are white
IsUotte6. like the fawns OF other deer.
EEK are the most polygamous OF
q al our deer. each bull gathering a
esnAH herd Of cows during the fall
y ~ the beginning Of the mating sea-