Elk herd in Smokies grows from 25 to 250+ in 25 years after reintroduction

The reintroduction of elk to Great Smoky Mountains National Park is being described by wildlife experts as one of the region's notable conservation success stories, 25 years after the animals were brought back to the park.In 2001, park officials relocated 25 elk from Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in Kentucky to the Smokies. The following year, another 27 elk from Elk Island National Park in Alberta, Canada, were added to the herd.Today, more than 250 elk have been recorded in the Smokies, according to WBIR.From extinction to a growing herdElk were once abundant throughout the southern Appalachian Mountains and the eastern United States. However, over-hunting and habitat loss caused their numbers to collapse.The National Park Service says the last elk in North Carolina is believed to have been killed in the late 1700s, while the last elk in Tennessee was reportedly killed in the mid-1800s.