A wandering 600-pound elk, whose remarkable journey through Eastern Iowa fascinated locals for over a year, met an unfortunate end last Friday when it was struck and killed on Interstate 80 near LeClaire, Iowa.
Jace Elliott, a state deer biologist for the Department of Natural Resources, said this particular elk is one of only 11 adult male elk sighted in Iowa and reported to the DNR this year.
“At one point in time, elk were native and abundant in Iowa,” Elliott said. “But that was pre-European settlement. So, for well over 100 years, they’ve been basically extirpated from the state.”
Elliott said the elk possibly wandered in from one of Iowa’s neighboring states, which all have growing populations of wild elk except Illinois. Male elk, he explained, often travel long distances from September to October during breeding season.
“Obviously, the elk that wound up in Iowa picked the wrong direction and committed to it,” Elliott said.
Elliott noted that wild elk are rarely so at ease in developed areas, and the elk’s distinctive antler structure made it identifiable as the same one first seen in Cedar Rapids last fall and twice in Iowa City this September.
The elk made one of its most surprising appearances strolling down the runway at the Iowa City Municipal Airport.
“This is the first time I’ve encountered an elk at the airport, and I’ve been here for 20 years,” Airport Manager Michael Tharp said.
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The elk was also spotted on Shannon Drive — a residential area of Iowa City — by Johnson County Sheriff’s Deputy Zachary Moore on Sept. 9. Moore said he was on his way home when he saw the animal, initially mistaking it for an unusually large deer.
“Wiped my eyes, took a couple blinks, and looked at it again,” Moore said. “And I’m like, no, that’s an elk.”
Due to the elk’s comfort in developed areas — behavior not consistent with typical wild elk — Elliott said it’s possible the animal originated from one of Iowa’s several legal elk farms.
“Occasionally, elk will escape, either intentionally or unintentionally,” Elliott said. “If there’s no marking on the elk, like an ear tag, we just have to assume it’s wild, although in many cases, they’re probably not.”
Elliott said it took four conservation officers to remove the elk’s 600-pound carcass from the side of the interstate, and no vehicle was on the scene at the time. The DNR is conducting standard diagnostic disease testing on the remains, with its skull and antlers being saved for educational purposes.
“So that’s the end of the saga,” Elliott said. “Definitely an unfortunate end, but I can’t say it’s surprising given this elk’s proclivity for developed areas.”
While this elk’s journey has ended, Elliott said there’s always a chance other elk could appear locally and encouraged people to take photos and videos, report sightings to the DNR, and give the animals space without disturbing their natural behavior.