In February 1996, the Ontario government announced, with the support of
partners, the intention to develop an elk restoration program. In 1998,
The Plan for the Restoration of Elk in Ontario was created.
This comprehensive plan addressed many factors involved in a wildlife
restoration project. The factors included habitat needs, habitat
suitability, population ecology, genetics, diseases and parasites, human-elk
interactions. It also identified potential areas in Ontario for restoration.
The restoration program was carried out with the help of many
partners. Between 1998 and 2001, elk were released in areas around the
Nipissing/French River, Bancroft/ North Hastings, the North Shore of Lake
Huron, and Lake of the Woods. Released elk came from Elk Island National Park
in Alberta, a source of elk for many reintroduction and restoration projects
in North America.
During the planning stages of each local elk restoration project, several
local meetings were held and a notice was posted on the Environmental
Registry as required by the Environmental Assessment Act and Environmental
Bill of Rights.
Elk Populations
American elk populations in Ontario are estimated by counting the number
of animals observed during aerial surveys and entering this data into a
population model. Population estimates vary across the province, and do not
include elk that may live outside of the primary core ranges.
The sizes of all wildlife populations rise and fall over time. Small
changes in population size from year to year may not be significant, while
changes over many years can indicate a trend. Differences in elk population
estimates seen from year to year can result from a combination of factors
including: natural mortality, hunting mortality in areas where there is a
hunting season, natural dispersal of animals away from the core area, survey
conditions, and differences caused by the statistical model that generates
the estimates.
Year
Provincial
Population Estimate
Population Estimatesą for
Core Elk Release Areas in Ontario
Lake of the Woods (LOW)
Lake Huron North Shore (LHNS)
Nipissing/French River (NFR)
Bancroft/North Hastings (BNH)
2004
375-440
35-45
60-65
110-130
170-200
2005
339-442
35-45
65-70
120-150
119-177
2006
375-452
35-45
70-80
greater than 120
150-207
2007
Not Available˛
35-45
75-85
fewer than 100
Not Available˛
2008
426-647
35-45
80-100
128-148
183-354
2009
535-670
25-35
100-115
110-120
300-400
2010
700
25-35
110-130
Not Availableł
330-766
2011
679-1026
35-45
135-165
160-175
349-641
2012
648-916
35-45
155-200
165-195
293-476
1. Elk population estimates were acquired using a variety of
techniques. Due to the difficulties in observing elk from the air
during surveys, population estimates are reported either as an
approximate range or as the average value within that range.
2. Information was not available as a survey was not done in an
area that year.
3. Information was not available due to poor survey
conditions in the area during the 2010 survey.
A Brief History of Elk
in Ontario
The earliest confirmed archaeological record for elk in
Ontario is from near Sarnia, where the remains of five elk dating from over
3000 years ago were uncovered. This and other archaeological evidence
suggest that elk entered southern Ontario thousands of years ago,
immediately following the last glacial period.
The last recorded historic elk kill in
Ontario
occurred between North Bay and
Latchford in 1893.
Historic accounts from the early 1600s record the
existence of elk populations in southern Ontario. Alexander MacKenzie wrote
of abundant elk while travelling the area between Lake Superior and the
Manitoba border in 1789.
By the mid 1800s, southern Ontario was undergoing rapid
settlement. Land was being converted to the production of crops and
livestock. As a result, elk experienced both a loss of habitat and increased
competition for resources.
These factors led to the decline in populations in
southern Ontario. Smaller numbers of elk continued to exist in north-eastern
Ontario, along the Ottawa River watershed, but due to continuing settlement
pressures and unregulated hunting, elk were eventually extirpated from
Ontario.
Early Distribution
There are varying estimates of how far north the
historic elk range extended.
It is clear that elk were most abundant in the eastern
deciduous forest region of southwestern Ontario, where it is suggested that
herds could number more than two hundred animals.
Elk also occurred in lesser concentrations north of the
eastern end of Lake Ontario in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence forest region
(i.e., Kingston and Ottawa areas).
Approximate historic range of elk in Ontario
Historic
Restoration Efforts
An attempt to restore elk into southern Ontario and
Algonquin Provincial Park occurred between 1900 and 1912. The attempt
was was unsuccessful.
A second effort was made in the 1930s by the former Ontario Department
of Lands and Forests. Elk transported from Alberta were held in
enclosures at numerous sites across Ontario. Sites at which elk were
released include Chapleau, North Bay, Burwash and Apsley. The high
concentration of elk remaining in holding facilities, however, created
conditions that caused many animals to be infested with liver fluke (Fascioliodes
magna). Concerns regarding the health of livestock and existing
cervid populations led to the decision to exterminate most of the
translocated elk.
Two small remnant herds of elk from the 1930s restoration efforts
inhabited the Burwash and French River area of central Ontario when
the province’s most recent program was initiated.
Elk Management in
Ontario
In the late 1800s elk were extirpated from
Ontario, but due to the success of restoration efforts by the
Ontario government and many important partners in the late
1990s, elk now inhabit several areas of the province.
Everyone can appreciate the intrinsic
value of elk. One of Ontario's largest mammals, this majestic
animal is once again an important part of Ontario's ecosystems
and biodiversity. Elk also provide opportunities for recreation
such as viewing and hunting.
Whenever humans and wildlife interact there
is the potential for conflict to occur. In Ontario, conflict
between humans and elk has occurred in the form of agricultural
damage and motor vehicle collisions.
Update January 2011
Under the guidance of
Ontario's Elk Management Plan, and consistent with
Ontario's Cervid Ecological Framework, the province is
implementing a comprehensive management program to support
healthy and self-sustaining elk populations. This comprehensive
elk management program will provide a range of benefits for
Ontarians, including the first modern day elk hunt in the
province, tools for managing human-elk conflicts and guidelines
to supporting sustainable management now and into the future.
