A vast amount of water is being trucked into Point Reyes National Seashore to protect several hundred Tule elk from dehydration because the extreme drought has dramatically reduced natural water supplies for the rare animals.
For decades, the large Tule elk — which can weigh as much as 500 pounds and stand seven feet tall — have been allowed to roam in a protected preserve inside the seashore, but now they are in peril.
Dave Press, National Park Service wildlife ecologist, told KCBS Radio that water supplies are running low.
"We are in a significant drought," he said. "Marin Municipal Water District has some of the longest records for rainfall in Marin County, and (it’s) lower this past year than has been seen in a 140 years."
For the first time, rangers have been trucking water into the Tule elk reserve.
"It’s about a 2,500-3,000 gallon water tank," Press said. "There are three tanks at three different sizes."
The tanks are placed in areas where the elk typically gather to graze.
Press said trucking in the water is critical to "make sure that we can maintain the Tule elk up at Tomales Point."
The distribution of water comes after months of protests from activists and conservationists—like the California Coastal Commission, In Defense of Animals and People for Point Reyes—who have advocated for access to nutritional resources and land for the Tule elk following the death of 152 of those elk last year.
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