Peter Byrne, NORTH BAY BOHEMIAN
Instagram users love the captive tule elk hoofing Tomales Point at the northern tip of Point Reyes National Seashore.
The sleek, befurred mammals seem to commune with tourists who stroll a well-traveled trail in the preserve. Tule elk are Yoda-like, with big, brown eyes. They trumpet, munch flowers and make love in harems.
According to a 1998 National Park Service brochure, “Given the mild climate and lush habitat of Tomales Point, the elk live in a virtual paradise.”
Let’s take a closer look. Using the fact-focusing lens of science, we learn that hundreds of tule elk inside the preserve are dying in agony from starvation and thirst and eating poisonous plants. They are trapped in an ecological hellscape operated by a bureaucracy that fences the animals away from forage and water for political reasons.
Read more at https://bohemian.com/death-by-design-how-the-national-park-service-experiments-on-tule-elk/