Comparison of endoparasite abundance and species richness of two Roosevelt elk herds in northern California

Abstract

Roosevelt elk (Cervus canadensis roosevelti) have historically populated the Pacific Northwest from the Olympic Peninsula to the south of San Francisco Bay, and several management actions have supported restoring elk into parts of this historic range. In 1982, 17 Roosevelt elk were translocated from Gold Bluffs Beach State Park to Sinkyone Wilderness State Park. In 2020, the Sinkyone elk herd was observed to have lower body condition scores and poor coat conditions in comparison to the Gold Bluffs Beach elk herd. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to investigate the difference in health between the two herds. Fecal samples were collected (n = 20) from each herd to measure species richness and abundance of parasites. We determined there was a significant difference in species richness and abundance of parasite eggs between the two herds. The Sinkyone herd's overall higher endoparasite load may be attributed to a low immune response due to low nutrition but, causation is unknown.