Collared and tagged, a young bull enjoys the lush meadows of the Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smokies. Compared to the frigid winters of the region it came from, Cataloochee must seem pretty plush indeed.

According to the Park’s Wildlife Biologist, Kim DeLozier, "Our decision not to bring in more elk until at least 2004 is partly a reflection that we have not had nearly the attrition we expected from the animals we have brought in. Out of a total of 52 animals released here over the first two years of the project only five have died and none have wandered out of the Park permanently."

Necropsies were performed on the elk that died and all were found to be negative for diseases of concern including brucelosis, tuberculosis and Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). Three apparently died from malnutrition, probably due to the stress of captivity during their acclimation period in the Smokies. One animal was euthanized when it showed symptoms of a parasitic brainworm. The fifth elk was shot by biologists when it left the Park and took up residence in a cattle pasture and could not be re-captured using tranquilizer darts.