A new herd of elk has arrived in Wisconsin. The 26 animals donated by Kentucky arrived at a quarantine site in Jackson County on Thursday.
Department of Natural Resources big game ecologist Kevin Wallenfang says the animals, which include there bulls, will be kept in a seven acre pen in the Black River State Forest for the next few months. The current plan is to fit them with radio collars and then release them later this summer, near the end of June.
Wallenfang says it was great to see the animals arrive in the state on Thursday, after DNR staff traveled through the night to transport them in two large trailers. He says “it’s a big relief” to finally have them here.
Efforts to reintroduce elk in Wisconsin started in 1995, with 25 animals donated by Michigan. The herd, located in Ashland County, has grown to about 160 animals in the past 20 years.