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Idaho Fish and Game Traps Elk Near Treasureton

Idaho - Approximately 250 elk are being fed by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game near Treasureton, Franklin County, in southeast Idaho as part of a baiting and trapping operation.

The elk using the feed site have been fed by Fish and Game in that area for the previous three years to reduce depredations on hay stacks on private land, to reduce elk-cattle contact, and to help keep animals away from the highway.

Because elk have been fed for three consecutive years in the same area, the Idaho Department of Agriculture requires that the animals are tested for disease. The most important disease being monitored in elk is brucellosis, which can have negative effects on cattle and the cattle industry. Brucellosis causes elk and cattle fetuses to abort.

Elk successfully trapped and deemed healthy will be transferred to another area in eastern Idaho where population objectives for elk have not been met. This action will help decrease the numbers of elk at this specific location in the Treasureton area, which will hopefully help reduce depredations to private landowners and risks to motorists on Highway 91. If any of the trapped elk test positive for brucellosis, the animals will be humanely dispatched, and the meat will be donated to food banks.

Fish and Game respectfully requests that the public stay away from this baiting site so that the trapping operation can be conducted as efficiently as possible.

Media Contact:
Jennifer Jackson (208) 232-4703 or (208) 251-9403