Syracuse.com - A deadly ending for most of the elk that escaped from private zoo/wildlife area in Brutus

[HuntingNY-News]

“We got back about three or four back. The rest had to be put down,” said Glenn Donnelly.

The saga of the escaped 14 Roosevelt elk from a private zoo/wildlife area in the town of Brutus came to an end recently, with the majority of the animals having to be shot.

“We got back about three or four back. The rest had to be put down,” said Glenn Donnelly, the former president of DIRT Motorsports, who owned the elk, which originally came from the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse more than 10 years ago.

Donnelly said earlier this week that in addition to the herd’s sole bull and a cow that were mistakenly shot by hunters shortly after they escaped, an additional two cows were also mistakenly taken down by hunters. The latter two cows were smaller than the 800-pound-plus animals initially shot.

“One of the (latter two) hunters came over to my house crying, saying he was sorry,” he said. “I’m sure he meant it.”

Donnelly said each year the elk would manage to escape during the rut, which usually occurred during late October, early November — always before the hunting season. Sometimes they’d just run through the 8-foot-high fence. Each time, however, they would return to his land without incident.

This year, because of the warmer weather, the rut started later for the elk. They escaped during the regular firearms season for deer.

“Things started off bad as soon as the guy shot the bull, which was the leader of the herd,” Donnelly said. “Each time before when they escaped, they never strayed more than a mile and never went any farther. We’d get enough guys on four-wheelers and we’d get them back.”

DEC officials have pointed out it’s a hunter’s responsibility to know what he or she is shooting at. At this point, no tickets have been issued to any of the four hunters who told investigators they accidentally shot Donnelly’s elk.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog