I was out at Point Reyes recently. The male elk are all sporting new antlers covered in velvet. They’re also still shedding their lighter-colored winter coats. This bull was in the Tule Elk Preserve. He was in a group of about 20 bulls.
I didn’t get a clear look at all of them, but three of them, and possibly a fourth, looked like they were suffering from diarrhea. That made me wonder if they had early-stage Johne’s Disease, which leads to death. For an earlier discussion of Johne’s Disease at Point Reyes, click here.
