Plant likely responsible for 19 elk deaths in Mapleton, DWR says

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MAPLETON A certain plant is likely responsible for the deaths of 19 elk found in Mapleton in the span of a week, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources said Monday.

When you live as close to the mountains as the residents of Mapleton, it’s no surprise to see herds of elk on the move.

“They’re constant in our town; we’re right at the base of the hills,” said Mapleton Police Chief John Jackson.

But what came as a surprise to him and the other residents was seeing the animals move lower and lower in the city and, more recently, not seeing them move at all.

“It’s been such a tough year for elk,” Jackson said.

On January 21, one of his officers found a dead elk. Jackson said there were no obvious signs of gunshot or car trauma, so they decided to call the DWR.

“It’s just an interesting phenomenon that it happened,” said Scott Root, DWR’s conservation outreach manager.

Root has been with the division for 32 years and said they don’t usually see a lot of elk dying. “And we want to know why.”

It all started with the discovery of just a few dead moose. Then five or six more. And over the next week calls for more and more dead elk came in, until it reached 19 elk, the last of which was found on January 27.

Root said they took three of the elk to a veterinary diagnostic lab in Spanish Fork. And on Monday, Root said he learned the initial report showed every elk had yew in their stomachs.

“Yew is a common shrub-like ornamental plant used in landscaping,” Root said. “But it’s also very toxic to animals.”

Yew is a common ornamental shrub used in landscaping. But it’s also very toxic to animals.–Scott Root, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

Root said that in his 32 years working for the division, he had “never seen this with yew.”

“This year has been a little different because of all the deep snow, and they’re coming down and they’re probably trying plants that they don’t usually consume because they’re going down town.”

A few herds live and migrate in the area, Root said. Each herd consists of approximately 80 to 100 elk. He said the herds would be fine after these deaths. But he hopes people will learn from it, too.

“There may be a silver lining to this whole incident,” he said. “It’s a good reminder for us to know what we’re planting in our landscape.”

Root hopes people will be more aware of what they are planting and make the necessary changes. He said the final toxicology report should confirm yew as the cause.

“Honestly, it’s heartbreaking,” Jackson said. “It’s 19 elk. They’re beautiful. We love them.”

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