Elk Poaching Under Investigation At Rocky Mountain National Park

ESTES PARK, CO -- Rocky Mountain National Park rangers are seeking any information that could help an investigation into two cases of elk poaching that occurred in the park in September, 2018. The first incident occurred on the night of Sept. 11, 2018, or early the next morning, according to a press release from the park. Park Rangers discovered a large bull elk on the morning of Sept. 12 that had been shot alongside Trail Ridge Road near Milner Pass. The bull’s head had been severed and removed, but the carcass remained.

On the morning of Sept. 22, park visitors reported a dead bull elk alongside Trail Ridge Road, near the Ute Crossing Trail south of Forest Canyon Overlook. When rangers investigated, they discovered the large bull elk had been shot during the night of Friday, Sept. 21, or early morning Saturday, Sept. 22.

"Rocky Mountain National Park’s wildlife is a resource for all visitors to enjoy viewing and appreciate," wrote park officials in a statement. "The individual(s) who assisted or carried out these poaching incidents robbed future park visitors of this experience."

Park rangers at Rocky Mountain National Park and special agents with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are urging anyone with information on these incidents or other incidents of wildlife poaching in the park to call the National Park Service Investigative Services Bureau at 888-653-0009, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement at 1-720-981-2777, or call Operation Game Thief at 1-800-332-4155.

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Photo: Mara Abbott/Patch