NINETEEN ROCKY MOUNTAIN ELK (CERVUS CANADENSIS NELSONI) KILLED IN AN AVALANCHE IN THE THREE SISTERS WILDERNESS

Abstract

Abstract On 10 August 2018 we investigated reports of dead Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus canadensis nelsoni) melting out of the snow above No Name Lake in the Three Sisters Wilderness, Oregon. We identified 15 elk partially lodged in the snow and 4 elk submerged in the lake. The elk were scattered across the slope and had suffered multiple compound fractures of the leg bones, suggestive of a traumatic incident. Soft tissues, such as eyes and tongue, were well preserved and had not been subject to scavenging or extensive decomposition