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Kentucky elk arrive in Wisconsin

Twenty-six elk from Kentucky have arrived in Jackson County, Wisconsin. These are the first of an expected 150 wild elk to be delivered to the Badger State over the next five years.  More elk will be delivered to Jackson County and in the Clam Lake area.

The elk were quarantined in Kentucky for 45 days before making the trip to Wisconsin. They will spend at least another 75 days in a seven-acre acclimation pen in the Black River State Forest to satisfy health testing requirements and allow the elk to become familiar with their new surroundings.  People are asked to avoid he general vicinity of the acclimation area until the elk are released in early summer.

Department of Natural Resources Secretary Cathy Stepp says a number of groups and individuals are funding the effort including the Ho-Chunk Nation, Jackson County Wildlife Fund, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and many others.