California Elk “Trapped and Dying” As Cattle Ranchers Block Wildlife’s Access to Water

Hundreds of elk have already perished at the Point Reyes National Seashore, as campaigners urge the government to take action to stop beef and dairy ranchers from destroying the park. 

Some of the California elk. Credit: IDA Media (IDA)

The world’s largest remaining herd of rare native Tule elk are dying at worrying rates as they struggle to access water at their home in the Point Reyes National Seashore, California.

The Seashore, part of the National Parks system, was established in 1962 to help protect wildlife such as the herd of Tule elk. But in recent years, the numbers of certain animals are dwindling as they face problems and competition for resources from the expanding dairy and beef ranchers who operate on the land. 

Now current drought conditions, made worse by the choking smoke from nearby wildfires, are forcing the herd to go thirsty and search desperately for more water sources. 

But walls and 8ft fences belonging to dairy and meat farms, are carving up the land and currently prevent the elk herd from roaming freely to access water sources located in the rest of the park. 

Campaigners say that the herd of 445 elk are effectively “trapped” and will die of thirst without any intervention. 

“It’s wrong to purposely trap native wild animals behind a fence to allow dairy and beef ranchers preference to natural resources at a national park,” said Fleur Dawes, of In Defense of Animals (IDA). “There are more cows on the Point Reyes National Seashore than there are Tule elk left in the entire world. Point Reyes National Seashore should be prioritizing the elk, not private ranching interests.”

Local activists have been delivering a supply of emergency water to the Tule elk by installing troughs holding gallons of water. And last week, over fifty locals gathered to protest the National Park Service’s (NPS) inaction in helping the deer.

Sadly, six elk have been found dead in the past weeks.

“The growing number of dead Tule elk has many local people extremely concerned,“ explained Dawes. “As locals hear what’s happening to the elk at the Seashore, more and more people want to take part ... and address the ranching problem.” 

Industrial ranching in the area has already proved controversial, with environmental groups slamming the cattle farming operations for polluting the area. In particular, scientific monitoring has found that the park has now become one the 10 most feces-contaminated locations in California, and its waterways have astonishing levels of water-borne bacterial pollution. 

“Most of the public has no idea that those so-called ‘small, organic, ranches and dairies’ are by far the greatest sources of Point Reyes soil degradation, air pollution, water pollution, and Pacific Ocean pollution”, explains Jack Gescheidt, of TreeSpirit Project.

“Thousands of cows are simply incompatible with the mission and health of a National Park. There’s only one, simple, appropriate solution to this pollution… remove the livestock from Point Reyes National Seashore, the SF Bay Area’s only National Park.” 

In Defense of Animals are now calling on Senator Kamala Harris and Representative Adam Schiff to step in to free the elk and restore the National Seashore. You can help take action at www.idausa.org/elk.

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