In the Ministry of Natural Resource’s eyes, the return of elk to the Bancroft area is a success story, born out of the work of environmentalists’ concern for an indigenous species that once disappeared.*
But to the agriculture sector, they are a nuisance, causing farmers thousands of dollars in crop damage for which they can’t find compensation.
“Imagine a 500-cow beef herd running loose in the Bancroft area,” he said. “They eat a lot of feed. And the best grazing is on improved pastures and in field crops. You can’t blame the animal, but that happens to be farmer’s livelihood.”
How green my valley?
Looks like it's time to thin the herd...
