Elk herds in Yellowstone National Park are on the rebound, with the annual winter survey indicating an increase of nearly 25 percent in the northern herd to nearly 4,900 animals.
That count, taken on Janaury 20 during three aerial surveys, showed 1,130 elk inside the park and another 3,714 just to the north of Yellowstone.
The 2015 count, taken by personnel from the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the National Park Service, was 24 percent higher than the 3,915 elk counted in 2013 and the highest since 6,037 elk were counted in 2010. Survey conditions in 2014 were poor and resulted in an inaccurate count, a park release said.
The Northern Yellowstone Cooperative Wildlife Working Group will continue to monitor trends of the northern Yellowstone elk population and evaluate the relative contribution of various components of mortality, including predation, environmental factors, and hunting.
The Working Group was formed in 1974 to cooperatively preserve and protect the long-term integrity of the northern Yellowstone winter range for wildlife species by increasing the scientific knowledge of the species and their habitats, promoting prudent land management activities, and encouraging an interagency approach to answering questions and solving problems.
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