This unique documentary provides an up-close look at the life cycle of the Elk of the Northern Herd in Yellowstone National Park. It offers both an ecological and a historical account of the great herd, and affords the viewer a glimpse into the patterns of migration and survival of one of the largest land mammals. It also illustrates the delicate balance of the ecology, and the sometimes cruel effects of maintaining that balance.

Elk of the Northern Herd would be useful for classes on Biology, Animal Science, Ecology and Geography. It is appropriate for middle school and high school.

• decimated
• degrade
• depleted
• exodus
• exuberance
• forage
• instinct
• poachers
• precarious
• predators
• virtually
• vulnerable

1. Elks faced the danger of extinction in the late 19th century. How did park managers in Yellowstone National Park increase the size of the herd and eliminate the risk of extinction?

2. Efforts to increase the size of the herd in the late 19th century were too successful: the elk herd became too large. How did the park rangers reverse this trend?

3. In the 1960s, park rangers changed the ways in which they managed the Elk herd. How did the rangers alter their methods of herd control?

4. Elks migrate up the mountains in small groups, not in a large herd. Why do they do this?

5. Calves, like the young of any species, are vulnerable to the dangers of life. Discuss some of the dangers that threaten elk calves.

6. Discuss the delicate ecological balance of the park.

7. Elks, like all pack animals, have a hierarchy. How do elks challenge or maintain the hierarchy of the herd?

8. Calves spend much of their time playing with one another. How does play prepare calves for survival as adults?

9. Animals have rituals they engage in to attract mates. What are the mating rituals of the elks? What are the mating rituals of other mammals, including humans?

10. How is weather a controlling factor in the size of the elk herd?

11. Why is the elk a symbol of the wilderness?

1. Create a poster that illustrates the delicate balance of the ecological system in Yellowstone National Park.

2. Create a mobile that illustrates the various stages of the elk’s life cycle.

Air Dates

• February 25, 2000