Photo credit: Department of Wildlife Resources, by way of WJHL
Virginia wildlife officials have been working for several years on reintroducing elk to Southwestern Virginia. In a sign that the effort is working, elk have been spotted in the Breaks Interstate Park, a joint Virginia-Kentucky state park, for the first time since the 1800s, reports WJHL.
For two years now, park officials have endeavored to make the Breaks habitat more welcoming by removing invasive species and planting native grasses. However, the elk have not responded as one might hope. It seems they are drawn to the nearby Willowbrook Golf Course, where they find enticing food on the fairway. It’s not clear what that food might be but, according to WJHL, park leadership plans to “draw the elk away” from the golf course to the park where visitors can see them.
