Elk are alive and well in the Lower Mainland of BC for the first time in a century, following the transplanting of two separate populations two years ago, the BC Ministry of Environment is reporting.

Roosevelt elk introduced at Pitt River have multiplied from a herd of 23 animals to 40 in just two years, while a second herd at the top of Indian Arm has grown from 20 to 27 animals in a single season. Conservation officers are pleased with the success and now want to explore the possibility of reintroducing elk this winter in the Ashlu Creek/Elaho River area of the Squamish watershed, and to upper Stave Lake north of Mission.

Subsistence hunting led to the disappearance of elk from the Lower Mainland in 1900.