Yukon releases elk herd, free of invasive ticks, back into wild
But winter ticks may be here to stay, biologists say
After spending months in captivity, the Yukon's Takhini elk herd was set free Thursday by government biologists trying to curb the spread of an invasive tick infestation.
Wildlife officers had rounded up the herd near Whitehorse this spring, as the elk were covered in winter ticks, also known as elk ticks or moose ticks.
The elk were kept in an enclosed pen, where biologists say the ticks fell off the animals naturally in an area fenced off from other animals.
"We captured the elk before the ticks had dropped off in late spring, and we've held them until all the ticks have dropped off," government biologist Rick Ward told reporters Thursday.
"Now we're ready to release them because we're confident that they're clean of ticks."
Biologists first discovered winter ticks on Yukon elk in March 2007, and the insects soon had infected most of the elk. While they do not pose a risk to elk, they are known to kill moose if allowed to spread.
With no suitable host animal, the ticks that dropped off the captured elk will die in the enclosed pen, biologists say.
Reporters and wildlife officers watched as the elk were released into the wild Thursday afternoon.
The captured elk approached the pen's open gate warily, seemingly aware of the people watching them from the bushes nearby. In the end, they were tempted out by bales of hay sitting outside the fence.
Tick-free, the elk are allowed to wander back to their range south of the Alaska Highway — for now.
Ward said the government has developed a plan for the next 10 to 12 months that will involve recapturing much of the Takhini elk herd this coming winter. They also plan to do the same thing with the Braeburn elk herd.
While Ward called the elk capturing project a success, he admitted winter ticks are likely going to stay in the Yukon.
"We are learning as we go. Certainly our preferred objective would be total eradication, but the experts tell us that's pretty unlikely," he said. "We may be looking at a longer-term control program."