250 native elk die inside fenced area at California seashore | The Woodsman Hut | Forums

I hadn't even thought how the drought is impacting the animals, but you are in the middle of a 4 year drought and you only check on the water levels annually?

POINT REYES, Calif. (AP) — More than 250 tule elk died inside a fenced area at a Northern California seashore during a two-year period, and a lack of water is possibly the cause.

The National Park Service on Thursday confirmed the elk died inside a fenced elk preserve at California's Point Reyes National Seashore from 2012 to 2014.

The drought is likely causing the death, and the park is considering bringing in water for the animals, park wildlife ecologistDavid Press said.

"While we were out on the range conducting our annual census, we observed the ponds had gone dry. We are looking into options for carting water in, making sure there is water out there," Press said.

During the same period, free-roaming Point Reyes elk herds with more access to water increased by nearly a third, figures from the park service show.

The elk are successful example of an effort to save one of North America's larger species. Hunting drove the animals, known for the elaborate antlers, almost to extinction in the 19th century. Authorities reintroduced tule elk to the coast decades ago, and they now are a main attraction for more than 2.5 million tourists who visit the area each year.