JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri conservation officials are seeking the public’s help to identify whoever shot and killed a female adult elk on Monday and left it to rot.
The Missouri Department of Conservation said Wednesday the elk was discovered Monday on National Park Service land in Carter County. No meat or other parts of the animal were taken.
The agency says it is the sixth elk killed by poachers during the past several years.
Protection Division Chief Randy Doman said in a news release that investigations into each shooting continue. He said a healthy elk population brings significant economic, recreational and cultural benefits to communities near where elk have been reintroduced.
The agency reintroduced 108 elk in Missouri between 2011 and 2013. Currently, the state has nearly 200 elk in Carter, Shannon and Reynolds counties.
An elk was also poached earlier this week in Colorado.