Dead Elk Found at Private Feed Site North of Hailey

Three adult female elk and two calves were found dead the second week of January at a private feed site near the Golden Eagle subdivision in Timber Gulch north of Hailey. A veterinary examination found the five elk died of a bacteriological infection. The animals showed no evidence of trauma, and were otherwise in good body condition when they died. Idaho Department of Fish and Game personnel retrieved the three unscavenged female elk carcasses for examination by wildlife veterinarian Mark Drew. Samples showed the elk died from clostridial bacteria infections. This is the second time elk have died from clostridial infection at this feed site; in January 2006 an otherwise healthy female elk was found dead in the same location. Clostridial bacteria are commonly found in soil and the intestinal tract of animals, especially ruminants such as elk, deer and domestic livestock. In areas where animals are concentrated, soil disturbance and fecal contamination can lead to higher levels of exposure to these bacteria. With stress, sudden feed changes or ingestion of large quantities of feed, anaerobic conditions can develop in the gastro-intestinal tract or other tissues that can allow the clostridial organisms to overgrow or invade tissue and produce toxins, which can cause acute deaths. Feed sites can create conditions that enhance proliferation and transmission of bacteria and other disease agents among animals which are feeding and defecating in close proximity with one another. Drew's recommendations to prevent further problems at the feed site could include discontinuing feeding, changing feeding locations at the site on a regular basis, and spreading the feed over a long enough distance that all animals present can feed at the same time. Fish and Game personnel have relayed this information to the operators of this feed site. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game has long discouraged private feeding of elk in the Wood River Valley and elsewhere to minimize the risk of disease transmission, reduce dependence of wild deer and elk on artificial feed, maintain natural seasonal migration patterns and encourage use of traditional winter ranges. For more information on winter feeding or wildlife diseases, please contact the Magic Valley Regional Fish and Game office at 208-324-4359.