Last Thursday I presented you with two pictures. One picture was sent to me by reader Matt. He claimed the picture was taken on Sunday, October 8, 2006 with a camera phone. He said the elk in the photo were those of Rex Rammell, owner of the Chief Joseph elk ranch where an undetermined number of elk escaped back in mid-August.
The second picture below is one I found on the Internet looking for what I believed to be two healthy wild elk for comparison. Below the pictures shown is a comment sent to me by an owner of an elk farm in Idaho and a member of the Idaho Elk Breeders Association.
Here is the comment.
Please let your readers know that the ISDA (Idaho State Department of Agriculture) went in and examin(e)d these animals, and did not find them to be neglected nor malnourished. To be honest with you, yes they are a little thin, but definately not malnourished. I can show you a picture of an elk who was malnourished. We had one cow break her jaw 2 months ago, and as a result was malnourished, but then nursed back to health. His animals do not appear to be malnourished. Take it from someone who actually raises these animals, and sees them up close on a daily basis. I think at this point, the media and some of the public are taking every opportunity to exploit Mr. Rammell further, and this sort of behavior needs to stop. Please be assured that if our Department of Agriculture believes these animals to be in poor condition, they will address the issue thoroughly.
*Note* I would like to point out at this time that I have no way of verifying the authenticity of the picture from Matt claiming to be elk belonging to Rex Rammell. I am not suggesting that it is not an authentic picture, just that it is very difficult to verify.
*Previous Posts*
Rex Rammell’s Letter To The Editor
Has Government Gone Too Far? More Escaped Elk Shot
What Do Malnurished Elk Look Like?
Idaho Elk Breeders Association Opens New Website
Bull Elk Shot Inside Rex Rammell’s Ranch
Wyoming Governor Asks Idaho Governor To Ban Game Farms
Escaped Idaho Elk Shot In Wyoming
Rex Rammell Arrested
Governor Jim Risch Defends His Decision To Shoot Escaped Elk
Idaho Gubernatorial Candidates Have A Say About Elk Farming
Rammell For Governor, Ranch Sold, Elk Still Being Hunted
Wyoming Governor Freudenthal Says Interior Department Not Doing Enough About Escaped ElkIdaho’s Escaped Elk Now Getting National Attention
Idaho Elk Farmer Says All His Elk Accounted For
Idaho Governor Expands Hunt For Escaped Elk
More Elk Killed In Idaho – Some By Hunters
Idaho Elk Farmer Plans To Sue The State
Scientists Will Test Killed Idaho Elk For Disease And Genetic Make-up
A Helicopter, A Plane And 25 Agents Can’t Find 160 Domestic Elk
Escaped Idaho Elk Being Slaughtered. Wyoming Ordered To Kill Elk Also
Domestic Elk Crash The Gate – Escape!
Tom Remington
