On Tuesday, April 12, Idaho Fish and Game staff dispatched five wild elk at a domestic elk farm in the Garden Valley area after the wild elk had entered the facility through an open gate in early March.

The elk were held in the captive facility after the owner notified the Idaho State Department of Agriculture, while Fish and Game and the ISDA visited the operation, investigated and determined the best course of action.

Out of an abundance of caution regarding the potential risk of transmitting disease to wild elk herds, Fish and Game determined the most appropriate course of action was to dispatch the wild elk in the pen rather than release them.

Because the wild elk were located on private property and among domestic elk, allowing sportsmen to harvest the animals was not an option, so Fish and Game staff dispatched the wild elk. Each wild elk will be tested for chronic wasting disease, and if found negative, the meat will be donated to a local food bank.