A train traveling between Montpelier and Soda Springs, Idaho, struck an elk herd in the early morning hours of January 25.
Conservation officers from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) arrived at the scene and dispatched injured animals as well as coordinated the removal of the carcasses from the railroad tracks. A total of 31 elk were killed of which ten were salvageable and distributed to members of the community. A resident volunteered his time and front-end loader to load salvageable elk into people’s trucks.
No people were injured in the incident.
IDFG also issued a warning to motorists traveling between Sugar City and Rexburg, approximately 100 miles to the north, about a herd of elk (see photo) that is passing back and forth over Highway 20 and Highway 33.
(Photo source: Idaho Department of Fish and Game)