Elk have been dropping like flies — well, very large flies — and scientists think they now know why. From Lichen Blamed for Elk Deaths in Wyoming:
Solving a puzzle that had baffled scientists across the country, researchers have concluded that the recent deaths of 304 elk in southern Wyoming were caused by a mossy plant native to the Rockies.
State wildlife veterinarians suspected lichen as the culprit in the die-off after finding it in the stomachs of many dead elk.
Sure, the elk all had lichen in their stomachs, but what’s to say the lichen killed them? This:
To confirm their suspicions, three elk were fed the plant at a research center. One collapsed and was unable to rise Sunday. A second also started stumbling, and a third is expected to be similarly afflicted. All three will be destroyed.
That’s a fairly gruesome way to confirm the cause.
So why is the lichen suddenly killing elk?
The lichen, known as Parmelia molliuscula, contains an acid that may break down muscle tissue, causing the elk to lose strength, said Walt Cook, a Game and Fish veterinarian.
Native elk were not affected by the acid; those killed in the die-off were apparently new to the area where the deaths occurred and may have lacked microorganisms needed to neutralize the acid.
“Elk don’t normally winter down … where they ate the lichen,” Reed said. “But, for whatever reason, this year they moved in there.”