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A Granville County man is suspected of illegally shooting a bull elk in Great Smoky Mountains National Park - the first case of elk poaching in the massive park, officials said Monday.
Rangers found the dead elk on Friday. He was one of the largest and most majestic breeding bulls in the herd that was reintroduced to the park's Cataloochee Valley several years ago, park officials said.
Poaching had been predicted when 52 elk were returned to the park, part of the species' native ground, in 2001 and 2002. Those fears had been unfounded until last weekend, said park spokesman Bob Miller.
"This is the first one we've ever had shot in the park," he said. Another elk was killed as it roamed outside the park, upsetting neighbors, about a year ago. The herd now numbers 105 animals.
Elk-watching is a popular pastime in Cataloochee, attracting thousands of tourists a year served by a volunteer staff called the "Bugle Corps." The elk lovers serve as an effective surveillance network that has prevented previous poaching, park officials say.
"It's a theft - a theft of people's enjoyment of the park," Miller said of the incident.
Witnesses quickly gave investigators an identification of a vehicle the suspect drove. A National Park Service special agent found the suspect at his home in Granville County, on the Virginia border north of Raleigh, on Saturday.
The park is working with the U.S. Attorney's office to develop the case, and the suspect has not been charged or publicly identified, Miller said.
Poaching in a national park carries a penalty of up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $5,000. Violators can also be forced to forfeit the weapon and vehicle used in the crime.
