AR-News: (US CO) Unexplained elk deaths in Wyo. leave wildlife officials puzzled

[Animalara2003 at aol.com]

By Theo Stein 
Denver Post Environment Writer 



Elk are dying by the hundreds on the high, dry plains south of Rawlins, Wyo., 
puzzling veterinarians who suspect some kind of poison is to blame. 
In the last three weeks, about 275 elk, mostly breeding-age cows in prime 
condition, have been found either dead or paralyzed in a 3-square-mile area just 
north of the Colorado border.
"They go to lie down, and then they can't get up," Wyoming Game and Fish 
Department spokesman Tom Reed said Thursday. "Their heads are up and they bark at 
you when you approach. But they can't move."
State biologists are euthanizing the stricken animals and have examined about 
a dozen carcasses in an attempt to find the cause of the deaths.
Whatever is killing the elk has yet to affect the horses, cows, calves and 
antelope observed in the area. Scavengers like coyotes, ravens or magpies that 
are feeding on the carcasses also appear to be immune.







full story:

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~53~1982263,00.html 








"The world is a dangerous place,
not because of those who do evil,
but because of those who look on and do nothing."
Albert Einstein    

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                        >' .' <                                
         There is no justice, just us!  
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