Feeding elk in winter -- so humane, right? Wrong! What began as a noble effort at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson Hole is now a ticking wildlife time bomb.
Hoof rot, scabies and brucellosis are just three diseases prevalent in the refuge elk herd. It's happened because elk congregate in dense food lines for handouts of alfalfa pellets. And lurking 45 miles away is the always-lethal Chronic Wasting Disease.
For healthy wildlife, it is time to stop this unnatural, unhealthy and costly feeding program -- and you can help!
Wyoming Game & Fish and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service plead with people not to feed wild animals. Yet they ignore their own scientists and continue this annual rite -- to the detriment of all wildlife. Warnings of a catastrophic outbreak in one of America's most famous elk herds are falling on deaf ears.
Tell the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to follow its own mandate and restore healthy elk herds!
Dear Ms. Walsh,
Please phase out the unnatural, unhealthy and financially wasteful winter feeding of elk and bison on the National Elk Refuge in Jackson Hole, Wyo.
The lines of alfalfa pellets congregate elk in artificially high numbers, opening the door for a litany of diseases.
Already, hoof rot, scabies and brucellosis are more prevalent in National Elk Refuge animals, which then migrate to other parts of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and spread disease. And the worst is yet to come.
Scientists say Chronic Wasting Disease, which has moved within 45 miles of the refuge, could devastate this internationally treasured herd unless the elk are allowed to naturally disperse.
To prevent a tragedy, the refuge must listen to its own scientists by expeditiously phasing out artificial winter feeding.
In doing so, a healthy elk herd will be assured for generations and an important part of the ecosystem restored for the benefit of all.
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