Wyoming elk capture to resume

JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) — Efforts to capture elk south of Pinedale were to resume on Sunday as state officials start another phase of a project stemming from concern about the animal disease brucellosis.

The project commissioned by Gov. Dave Freudenthal's Brucellosis Coordination Team is entering its fourth year. Officials from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and other agencies plan to capture elk this week, and during the week of Feb. 8.

Altogether, officials have captured and handled just over 1,200 elk in the first three years of the project. Of those animals, 600 were adult cows eligible for testing of blood, to check for exposure to brucellosis. About one-sixth of the 600 tested positive and were killed.