10 



•» DOMESTICATION OF ELK. 



"With few exceptions the early attempts to domesticate elk were 

 made by men who were wealthy enough to disregard all thought of 

 profit in raising them. They were usually placed under the care 

 of servants, and the bucks were left uncastrated until they became 

 old and unmanageable. Soon the serious problem of controlling 

 them outweighed the novelty of their possession, and one by one the 

 attempts at domestication were abandoned. 



A desire to preserve this important game animal has caused a re- 

 ncAval of attempts to breed it in confinement, and at present there 

 are small herds under private ownership in many places in the 

 United States. The Biological Survey has recentl}^ obtained much 

 information from OAvners of herds in regard to their experience in 

 breeding and rearing the animals, and also their opinions as to the 

 possibility of making the business of raising them profitable. Of 

 about a dozen successful breeders," nearly all are of the opinion that 

 raising elk for market can be made remunerative if present laws 

 as to the sale of the meat are modified. 



One especially iuiportant fact has been developed by the reports 

 from breeders. It is that the elk readily adapts itself to almost any 

 environment. Even Avithin the narrow confines of the paddocks of 

 the ordinar}^ zoological park the animal does well and increases so 

 that periodically the herds have to be reduced by sales. 



The fullest reports that have been received by the Department of 

 Agriculture from breeders of elk are from George W. Euss, of 

 Eureka Springs, Ark., through H. N. Vinall, of the Bureau of Plant 

 Industry. 



Mr. Buss has a herd of 31 elk. They have ample range in the 

 Ozarks on rough land covered with hard^vood forest and abundant 

 underbrush. The animals improve the forest by clearing out part of 

 the thicket. They feed on buds and leaves to a height of 8 feet, and 

 any growth under this is liable to be eliminated if the range is re- 

 stricted. If not closely confined, elk do not eat the bark from trees, 

 nor do they eat evergreens. In clearing out underbrush from thick- 

 ets they are more useful than goats, since they browse higher. Goats, 

 hoAvever, eat closer to the ground ; and as the tAvo animals get along 

 Avell together, Mr. Buss recouunends the use of both for clearing up 

 brushy land and fitting it for tame grasses. 



The increase of elk under domestication is equal to that of cattle. 

 Fully 90 per cent of the females produce healthy young. An adult 

 male elk weighs from 700 to 1,000 pounds; a female, from 600 to 

 800 pounds. The percentage of dressed meat is greater than with 



'^The experiences of these breeders are, in tlie iiiaiii, reserved for a more ex- 

 tended bulletin on the domestication of game mammals. 

 330 



