A feud between animal rights groups and Point Reyes National Seashore culminated this week prompting a lawsuit alleging negligence in the death of the native tule elk.
The lawsuit cited inhumane living conditions mandated by the National Park Service as responsible for dozens of elk deaths in 2020 and 2021.
Prior to the 19th century, nearly half a million tule elk were estimated to live in California. Despite their status as a native species, the elk have been restricted by the National Park Service to a 2,600-acre enclosure in Point Reyes, preventing them from grazing into cattle farms.
According to the lawsuit, more than one-third of the population of tule elk have died since last year. Examinations showed that the emaciated elk died of starvation and dehydration, court documents said.
In a statement made in 2019, the Animal Legal Defense Fund called out the NPS for "prioritizing the economic interests of the commercial cattle industry over the lives of wild animals."
"The National Park Service has a responsibility to protect and preserve these beautiful animals," said a representative for the plaintiff. "The idea that depriving them of food and water somehow fulfills that responsibility isn’t just absurd, it's undeniably inhumane."
In a statement to the San Francisco Chronicle, Point Reyes representatives declined to comment "due to the pending litigation."
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