Herd of elk spotted in Pitt River region, sparking hopes for their survival in Lower Mainland
CBC
A herd of elk was spotted last week in the upper Pitt River area just north of Metro Vancouver, raising hopes for the species that was once nearly extinct on the South Coast.
Aerial video taken by helicopter pilot Ralph van Woerden shows a small herd of elk crossing the river.
Van Woerden told CBC News he sees a lot of wildlife in B.C.'s backcountry, but seeing elk was rare. It was only the second time he and his son, also a pilot, had seen the animals.
"It was quite beautiful to see. It's not a common sight, obviously," he said.
"We love nature, so we [are] always looking for exciting things to see. And this was definitely one of those moments that you both say, 'Oh, look at this.'"
WATCH | Helicopter footage shows a herd of elk
Van Woerden's video shows a male elk, also called a bull or buck, along with several female elk.
The elk that live in the Lower Mainland are part of the Roosevelt elk subspecies, which hadn't been seen in the area for about a century before 2005.
Roosevelt elk, which are part of the deer family and native to North America, were nearly eradicated on the South Coast due to extensive hunting in the early 1900s, according to a 2015 B.C. government report.
"Roosevelt elk serve an important ecological role in coastal ecosystems of British Columbia," the report states.
The paper says they serve as prey for top predators in the area and contribute in other ways to the ecosystem.
Due to their importance for ecosystems, some elk were gradually re-introduced to the Sunshine Coast, in the Sechelt Peninsula and Powell River regions, in the 1980s and 1990s. It was part of a "translocation" from Vancouver Island, where they were still present in significant numbers.
In 2005, 23 elk were relocated to the upper Pitt River region from the Sechelt Peninsula. Subsequently, their population has grown, and van Woerden says he hopes it continues to do so.
"I heard that they're being hunted by people or poached," he said. "Hopefully they'll be left alone and can grow more and more."
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