Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Elk Starve to Death While Cattle Graze Freely at California Sanctuary: Lawsuit
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
June 23, 2021

Share

Over 150  tule elk at Point Reyes National Seashore have died from starvation and dehydration in the last year because the animals couldn’t get past a fence that the National Park Service placed to stop them from competing for food and water with cattle, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday against the federal government.

Three California residents and the Animal Legal Defense Fund sued the park service in federal court in San Francisco claiming it is being negligent and more animals will die if the agency is not ordered to provide food and water during the drought.

“The National Park Service has a responsibility to protect and preserve these beautiful animals. The idea that depriving them of food and water somehow fulfills that responsibility isn’t just absurd, it’s undeniably inhumane,” said Kate Barnekow, of Harvard Law School’s Animal Law & Policy Clinic, who is representing the Plaintiffs.

Point Reyes National Seashore spokeswoman Melanie Gunn said she couldn’t comment on pending litigation.

Tule elk are a subspecies of elk native to California. The 700-pound animals, which were hunted to near extinction in the 1800s, were reintroduced to the park in 1978.

152 Elk Die from Starvation and/or Dehydration

According to the lawsuit, 152 elk — more than a third of the population — have died since last year and necropsies obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that the emaciated elk died of starvation and/or dehydration.

The park service announced earlier this month that it had installed three large troughs after many of the stock ponds and other water sources began drying up earlier than expected due to lack of rain. But that water was only accessible to one of four herds at Tomales Point, the lawsuit said.

Gov. Gavin Newsom last month declared a drought emergency for much of the state after an unusually dry winter and extraordinarily warm spring temperatures. But while droughts are common in California, this year’s drought much hotter and drier than others, evaporating water more quickly.

The fence was erected decades ago to prevent the elk from competing with the cattle that are permitted by the park service to graze on public land.

Park Visitor Cited for Taking Water to Elk

Some of the biggest names in the Bay Area’s organic meat and dairy industry lease land in Point Reyes, including Bill Niman and Nicolette Hahn Niman of BN Ranch LLC, and David Evans of Marin Sun Farms.

Plaintiff Jack Gescheidt, an environmentalist and artist, has been visiting Tomales Point in the Point Reyes National Seashore for at least 20 years. He said the park service cited him after he took troughs of water to the elk.

“The knowledge that approximately a third of the Tomales Point herd of tule elk has already died from a lack of adequate water and forage is absolutely chilling,” he said. “I see these beautiful animals and want them to experience a healthy, happy, safe life, but I know that so many of them will die—through no fault of their own.”

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

‘King of the Hill’ Voice Actor Jonathan Joss Fatally Shot Outside His Texas Home

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Crews Battle Active Wildfire in Yokuts Valley, Evacuation Warning Issued

DON'T MISS

Not Quite ‘Hunger Games,’ but Fresno Budget Hearings Start

DON'T MISS

Clovis CPA Sentenced to Prison for $800K Bank Fraud Scheme

DON'T MISS

His Gang Name Is ‘Goer.’ Now Fresno County Man Is Going to Prison for 20 Years

DON'T MISS

Missing Woman Found Dead in Fresno County Canal Identified

DON'T MISS

Co-Conspirator Sentenced in Fraud Involving Loans to Bitwise

DON'T MISS

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Stephanie Marie Zamarripa

DON'T MISS

Why Trump Is Mad at ‘Sleazebag’ Leonard Leo

DON'T MISS

Trump Amplifies Outlandish Robot Biden Conspiracy Theory

UP NEXT

American Doctors Are Moving to Canada To Escape the Trump Administration

UP NEXT

General Is a Good Boy — in English and Spanish

UP NEXT

Loretta Swit, Emmy-winner Who Played Houlihan on Pioneering TV Series ‘M.A.S.H.,’ Has Died at 87

UP NEXT

1 in 4 US Children Have Parents With Substance Use Disorder, Study Finds

UP NEXT

Dozens Sickened in Expanding Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Recalled Cucumbers

UP NEXT

Speaker Johnson Raises Campaign Money in Fresno

UP NEXT

Canada Wants to Kill 400 Ostriches. RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz Want to Save Them.

UP NEXT

Could Aleko’s Playful Antics ‘Purrsuade’ You to Adopt Him?

UP NEXT

Business Insider Cuts 21% of Workforce, Memo Shows

UP NEXT

Harvard Agrees to Relinquish Early Photos of Slaves, Ending a Long Legal Battle

Clovis CPA Sentenced to Prison for $800K Bank Fraud Scheme

10 hours ago

His Gang Name Is ‘Goer.’ Now Fresno County Man Is Going to Prison for 20 Years

10 hours ago

Missing Woman Found Dead in Fresno County Canal Identified

10 hours ago

Co-Conspirator Sentenced in Fraud Involving Loans to Bitwise

10 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Stephanie Marie Zamarripa

10 hours ago

Why Trump Is Mad at ‘Sleazebag’ Leonard Leo

11 hours ago

Trump Amplifies Outlandish Robot Biden Conspiracy Theory

11 hours ago

Madera County Authorities Seek Public’s Help Locating Missing At-Risk Man

12 hours ago

Mattel Is Combining Film and Television Units to Create Mattel Studios

12 hours ago

Campbell’s Co. Says Sales Rise as More Americans Cook at Home

12 hours ago

‘King of the Hill’ Voice Actor Jonathan Joss Fatally Shot Outside His Texas Home

HOUSTON — Jonathan Joss, a voice actor best known for his work on the animated television series “King of the Hill,” was fatally shot near h...

9 hours ago

Photo of caution tape
9 hours ago

‘King of the Hill’ Voice Actor Jonathan Joss Fatally Shot Outside His Texas Home

Fresno County fire crews are battling a wildland blaze in Yokuts Valley near Rector Lane, where the RECTOR incident has burned 10 acres with the potential to spread to 100 on Monday, June 2, 2025. (CalFire)
9 hours ago

Fresno County Crews Battle Active Wildfire in Yokuts Valley, Evacuation Warning Issued

10 hours ago

Not Quite ‘Hunger Games,’ but Fresno Budget Hearings Start

Photo of a laptop with a Department of Justice logo on the screens
10 hours ago

Clovis CPA Sentenced to Prison for $800K Bank Fraud Scheme

10 hours ago

His Gang Name Is ‘Goer.’ Now Fresno County Man Is Going to Prison for 20 Years

10 hours ago

Missing Woman Found Dead in Fresno County Canal Identified

10 hours ago

Co-Conspirator Sentenced in Fraud Involving Loans to Bitwise

Stephanie Marie Zamarripa is Valley Crime Stoppers' Most Wanted Person of the Day for June 2, 2025. (Valley Crimes Stoppers)
10 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Stephanie Marie Zamarripa

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend