The elk herds in Rocky Mountain National Park needed to be thinned out - reduced from 3,000 to 2,000 or less. Congress mandates that the land must be maintained in a natural state so the elk population must be reduced to maintain the trees.
One option is to have a ranger-led hunting season in the park. Another option is the reintroduction of wolves. The third option being considered is a non-lethal method involving a hormone which will render a female elk sterile for one year. The hormone can be injected into the animal by dart gun.
Residents in the town of Estes Park, Colorado will welcome the herd reduction. Elk have been a nuisance there for a long time.
Looks like it will be bullets, wolves or the pill -- or maybe a combination of two options -- or maybe all of the above.
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