Marci’s mom continued to tell her about these elk. How they covered miles and miles of land in North American but at the end of a hunter’s point were greatly decimated. Eventually they were rounded into smaller areas that stalled and maintained their populations. Although their species was saved from extinction at the hand of hunters, more problems, political and environmental, continue to rise. One of the problems they have faced is the reintroduction into wildlife and park regions. The balance between prey and predator in the elk’s community has been difficult to maintain. The elk’s reintroduction to the park spurred an increase in population, so they grazed more than what the environment could usually replenish. The soils became less efficient in retaining water for plant growth. Elk also grazed around aspens and willows, continuous damaging them and hindering growth. This affected all other animals whose life included harvesting and living in these trees.
The elk have also been preyed upon. As their numbers increase, the need to control elk populations, park management introduced Canadian wolves. These wolves were powerful predators and became a threat to all species as their populations increased. This is a problem that is ongoing as they try to settle the best way to lower the Canadian wolves’ population as well.
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