Audit Report: Missouri Elk Cost $30,000 Per Animal by Alex Robinson
The Missouri state auditor's office released a study yesterday finding that the Show-Me state's elk restoration program has cost three times more than initially estimated. This boils down to about $30,000 per elk, according to the Associated Press. The study said the Missouri Department of Conservation spent about $1.2 million on employee salaries, equipment and habitat improvement. In June, the department
released 34 radio-collared elk in southern Missouri. The department says there are now 36 elk, including five calves and it has plans to introduce up to 150 elk over several years.
released 34 radio-collared elk in southern Missouri. The department says there are now 36 elk, including five calves and it has plans to introduce up to 150 elk over several years.
The study was immediately contested by conservation officials who say it
unfairly counted one-time costs like building elk pens. The department also
argued that the wildlife restoration projects benefit all wildlife, not just
reintroduced elk.
Proponents of the elk restoration also argue that getting elk back into the
state will be a boon for the economy, bringing in tourism dollars and hopefully,
hunting license fees one day.
unfairly counted one-time costs like building elk pens. The department also
argued that the wildlife restoration projects benefit all wildlife, not just
reintroduced elk.
Proponents of the elk restoration also argue that getting elk back into the
state will be a boon for the economy, bringing in tourism dollars and hopefully,
hunting license fees one day.
