Коровы-олени являются ключевым фактором выживания популяции в горах Техачапи

While the bull elk in the Tehachapi Mountains, with their massive size and enormous antlers, get the most attention, it is the cow elk that are the most critical to the continued success and survival of any given elk herd. The elk in our area, as most people know, are descended from a group of about 400 American Elk (Cervus canadensis nelsonii) that were imported from the Yellowstone National Park area around 1966. This species, also known as Rocky Mountain Elk, were imported by the Rex Ellsworth Ranch, which was later purchased and developed to become the community of Stallion Springs. There is another subspecies known as Tule Elk (Cervus canadensis nannodes) that were historically native to the Tehachapi Mountains. These are typically somewhat smaller than American Elk, and were very nearly driven to extinction, reduced to a single bull and a single cow by 1874. They were rigorously protected and eventually recovered somewhat, and there are now estimated to be more than 6,000 Tule Elk in the state of California. But regardless of the species, it is cow elk that are most essential to the herd. One bull elk can sire numerous calves, but each cow typically has a single offspring each year, though they very rarely can have twins. After mating in the autumn rut, the cows have a gestation period of eight to nine months. In May or June, they give birth to a calf that weighs about 30 pounds. Like deer fawns, elk calves are spotted and have no scent to help protect them from predators. When she gives birth, the mother cow typically separates herself from the rest of the herd, and hides her newborn in among tall grass. She only nurses her calf for several minutes a day, and the rest of the time stays away, though close by, so that she doesn’t attract any predators to the location of her hidden baby. If a potential threat does happen onto the scene, including a human, cow elk can be aggressive and protective in defense of their young. Mature, healthy cows usually weigh 500 pounds, so they are not defenseless, even if they lack the giant antlers of the bulls. Despite weighing a quarter of a ton, cow elk are lithe and graceful, and more nimble than the massive bulls. They really are gorgeous animals, and underappreciated, in my opinion. Cow elk are generally excellent, attentive mothers, and their female calves will usually grow up and stay in the same herd or group as their mother. Sometimes there will be multiple generations of mothers, daughters and grandmothers in the same herd, since the cows can live and continue to raise a calf each year for 10 to 15 years, or occasionally even longer. You can see elk cows and their calves, which are already as big as mule deer, in the outlying areas at this time. Soon the rut will be starting and you may hear the whistling shriek, called bugling, that males do to announce their presence and challenge other males. The boys may be bigger and louder, but it is the quieter, more stately female elk that are the most vital for the new recruitment of another generation of young elk each year. Have a good week. Jon Hammond has written for Tehachapi News for more than 40 years. Send email to [email protected].