Yellowstone National Park has its wolves, and perhaps Great Smoky Mountains National Park has its elk.

Yellowstone has been wildly successful with its wolf recovery program, in large part because there's a heckuva lot for wolves to eat in Yellowstone, what with the bison herds, the elk herds, the moose, and the pronghorn for starters.

Great Smoky's elk recovery program has been, frankly, a little slow to take hold. But if this spring is any indication, they might soon need some wolves to keep the elk population at bay. (Just kidding)

The experimental phase of Great Smoky's elk recovery program ended in December. That meant the elk were essentially on their own to survive and repopulate the park or vanish from the landscape, unless, of course, park officials decide more assistance is needed. But for now the park's elk herd numbers about 100, and with calving season still under way, the count is expected to go higher.

That said, on the downside there have have been a few adult mortalities. Two-year old bull #98 died in Cataloochee in December 2008 of unknown causes. Other mortalities include yearling bulls #121 and #134 that died in February and May, respectively, and adult bull #68 in January.

The most recent mortality was bull #4. This was a highly visible bull that was easily recognized in Cataloochee Valley by his abnormally shaped antlers that were shorter than most antlers and had a paddle-shaped formation at the top. Park biologists says that for several months this bull appeared to have been losing weight and he recently took a considerable turn for the worse to the point wherel he was unable to walk normally and had difficulty standing. Park managers consulted with a veterinarian and the decision was made to euthanize bull #4 because he would not recover from this poor of a condition.

While it's not good to lose all those bulls, not all is lost for the park's elk herd. The brighter side of 2009 so far is that calving season has begun and there could be more calves born this year than any year so far, according to park biologists. There are several cows that could be producing their first calf, and with female survival very high over the last year things look optimistic for herd recruitment this year.

Biologists report that seven calves are known to have been born so far and at least two of them are female. Managers have not been able to handle the others yet to determine their sex and many more calves are expected to be born over the next month or so.

Some of the calves that were born earlier this year are getting big enough to travel with their mothers and can often be seen in the fields around Cataloochee, along with turkey hens and their newborn chicks. There have also been several sightings of bears feeding on wild strawberries in the fields of Cataloochee over the last few weeks. With all of the exciting things happening with wildlife right now, it is a great time to visit the park and enjoy the show!!