Elk may have been crossbred with red deer

[Hamilton Reef]

Officials test Idaho elk

Tissue samples taken from eight animals that escaped from an Idaho elk farm will be tested for disease and genetic makeup to help determine the level of threat to wild elk near the Wyoming-Idaho border, Idaho wildlife officials say.

The private Idaho hunting reserve, owned by veterinarian Rex Rammell, charges clients $5,995 each to shoot one of the trophy-sized domesticated elk. Idaho Fish and Game Director Steve Huffaker said his agency has heard reports that some of Rammell's elk may have been crossbred with red deer in an effort to grow larger antlers.

http://www.jacksonholestartrib.com/articles/2006/09/12/news/wyoming/1a765f9152818a05872571e70004e959.txt

[Hamilton Reef]

Elk farm owner arrested

BOISE – An eastern Idaho man whose farm-raised elk escaped in August near Yellowstone National Park has been arrested after a confrontation with state Department of Fish and Game officials who were hunting the wayward animals on nearby private property.

[swampbuck62]

Thats funny because geneticly elk and red stag are almost the same.
It's going to be hard to tell if they had been croossbred. And the fact is they were probably in better heath the the wild elk.

[Hamilton Reef]

It will not be hard to identify any crossbreeding through the DNA analysis. The hard part will be first capturing the right specific animal for testing.

[Elk Guide]

Hi
How do you figure it will be hard to tell if elk are cross bread? Red Stag have a crown at the top of the antlers and rocky mountain elk do not. So any elk that produces a crown at the top would be a cross of either a Red Stag or Roseavelt elk which also has a crown but not as prominant as a red stag..

[Brown duck]

And the fact is they were probably in better heath the the wild elk.

Perhaps, but not after they are introduced to diseases in the wild which they may not have the built-in genetic immunities to fight against.

[swampbuck62]

Hi
How do you figure it will be hard to tell if elk are cross bread? Red Stag have a crown at the top of the antlers and rocky mountain elk do not. So any elk that produces a crown at the top would be a cross of either a Red Stag or Roseavelt elk which also has a crown but not as prominant as a red stag..

I know red stag have a crown. And just because the are cross bred does not mean they will have a crown. But as I said red stag and elk. Are so close geneticly it is hard to tell them apart. I personaly don't see what the big deal is. Back when they were restocking deer in GA. They bought alot of deer in from MI,WI,TX as well as many other states. Now all these deer were geneticly the same ,but different subspeices. I don't think a few "maybe" crossbred elk are going to hurt a thing.

[Elk Guide]

hi ....your right they won't all have a crown but Red Stag is of a red color and smaller than a elk and some times have a palmation in there antlers as well so do roosevelt elk and Rocky mountain do not so that is why i said it was easy to tell...And your wrong it does hurt the elk herd to have nonnative species breed with the native species ....it would make it a mutt so to speak

[Hamilton Reef]

Escaped elk may be hybrid

One elk that escaped from an Idaho game farm near the Wyoming border may be a red deer hybrid, according to preliminary test results.

That elk tested positive as having red deer genetics in two of three tests, according to Idaho Department of Agriculture spokesman Wayne Hoffman. Genetic and disease test results for the other escaped domestic elk in have come back with negative results.

http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2006/11/28/news/wyoming/700785e6b712938c872572340005cb62.txt