For more than two months now, a herd of about 80 elk in northern Utah, in search of forage to survive a particularly harsh winter, continued to cross a busy interstate highway. Unfortunately, several lost their lives due to vehicle collisions.
In mid-March, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) set aside a Sunday morning to stop traffic, form a human chain and direct the elk from a golf course across I-80 and back into the foothills of Parley’s Canyon.
“I thought it went exceptionally well. I am all smiles,” Scott Root, DWR spokesman, told ksl.com. “We felt like it was a good day,” he said. “We realize that this stressed the elk but for public safety reasons, we had to get these elk back to where they belong up there in that higher country.”
However, one week later during the darkness of overnight hours, the elk came down from the snow-packed canyon and returned to the golf course.
(Photo source: Utah Department of Transportation)