This alert is no longer active, but here for reference. Animals still need your help.

Rare Tule elk are imprisoned and dying without access to enough water. The most precious herd remaining of this native Californian species are inside a fenced-in reserve managed by the National Park Service (NPS) in Point Reyes National Seashore. These elk are trapped amid drought, wildfire and heatwave conditions because of ranchers who want to see them gone, and the NPS refuses to intervene to save them from dying.

This is urgent — we can't afford to let even one more of these rare elk die of thirst!

Tule elk were once nearly wiped out by hunting and ranching, but were brought to Point Reyes by the NPS in the late 1970s. Since then the herd there has become the largest in the state at just 450 individuals. But even though they're federally protected, the elk are still in danger because of ranchers who are taking advantage of subsidized grazing and dairy leases on public lands.

There are now more cows in the Point Reyes National Park than Tule elk in the entire world!

Thirsty elk are currently beset by drought, wildfire smoke, and a heatwave, and caged into the preserve by a fence, which prevents them from accessing alternative water sources. The NPS has sided with local ranchers and refuses to provide water for fenced-in elk. The Park has blocked In Defense of Animals and our partners from delivering water to the dying elk.

Ranchers claim that parklands can't support the elk, while their cows outnumber elk by a factor of 10, eat more, and produce much more manure. Ranch cows produce over 100 million pounds of manure each year, more than the land can compost. How can 5000 cows be sustainable, when 500 elk aren't?

Studies show that elk restore native grasslands, while exotic cattle destroy them. According to Tule elk biologist and researcher Julie Phillips, Tule elk are a flagship species, preserving the health of grassland oak habitat. In areas where elk returned after cattle left, Phillips says native grasses and blue oak trees thrive once more.

Fenced-in Tule elk at Tomales Point Elk Reserve need access to perennial water and to elk from the surrounding area to survive.

On a rescue mission, brave activists risked their freedom to deliver water to elk while cows beyond the fence have free access to perennial streams. Although this water will save some elk, it's only a stop-gap solution.

In Defense of Animals, ForELK, Rancho Compasión, TreeSpirit Project and others are calling on the National Park Service to truly preserve Tule elk by removing the fences and the ranches that go with them.

Letter to Decision Maker(s) for reference:

Subject: Preserve Native Tule Elk Not Exotic Cattle at Point Reyes National Seashore

On behalf of In Defense of Animals, an animal protection organization with over 250,000 supporters, I urge the National Park Service to fulfill its responsibilities and protect native Tule elk — not the interests of private dairy and meat ranchers who are taking advantage of heavily subsidized leases on our public lands.
 
California native Tule elk once numbered 500,000, but now only 5,700 are relegated to small patches of protected land. The most protected and visible herds of Tule elk live at Point Reyes, where people travel far and wide to see them. A public poll revealed 90% of the public favor supporting elk instead of ranchers’ cows.
 
Ranchers claim that parklands can't support the elk, while their cows outnumber elk by a factor of 10, eat more, and produce much more manure. Ranch cows produce over 100 million pounds of manure each year, more than the land can compost. How can 5000 cows be sustainable, when 500 elk aren't? 
 
Studies show that elk restore native grasslands, while exotic cattle destroy them. According to Tule elk biologist and researcher Julie Phillips, Tule elk are a flagship species, preserving the health of grassland oak habitat. In areas where elk returned after cattle left, Phillips says native grasses and blue oak trees thrive once more. 
 
The park is obligated to prioritize elk over cows under the 1916 NPS Organic Act and Point Reyes legislation. We can't afford to lose the most precious herd out of the world’s few remaining Tule elk. Please remove the fence and the polluting, environmentally degrading cows.
 
I look forward to hearing from you about this critical issue.

Sincerely,

Signed

This alert is no longer active, but here for reference. Animals still need your help.