Elk drownings....should something have been done

[Catherine]

There is a controversy raging in the Yukon over two elk who ended up in the Takhini River and were unable to get out. They struggled for a long time before the cold and the water got them. Conservation officers were there for one incident, but they were unable to rescue the animal. They also refused to shoot them or allow others to shoot them. 

https://www.yukon-news.com/news/takhini-...-wildlife/

There are some complications to the story. Elk were introduced to the area so they are not the best adapted to the conditions. They were introduced for the purposes of hunting to take the pressure off the caribou and moose that are native to the area. 
Introducing the elk has caused problems and there is a push to hun them more to reduce the numbers.

Rescuing wildlife in danger is a good thing, but they would not have much in the way of rescue equipment to make a rescue possible. It doesn't sound like they had the means to save the elk. 

Should they have killed the elk to end their suffering. By law, locals cannot do it. The laws are there to protect the animals from people who would use every excuse to shoot an elk. Without a permit people are not permitted to kill an elk. I don't know if there are emergency provisions in the law. I doubt it.

Should the conservation officers have shot the elk? I don't know. They chose not to shoot them. Did that prolong their deaths or did it give them a chance to survive. That would be a hard judgement to make. I don't know if it is possible to write a policy that would cover all possible situations. 

Certainly introducing a herd of elk into the area is part of the problem. We don't think over our actions before we do things like this. They wanted more animals for hunting so they brought in more animals. I don't know if it is possible to humanely remove the elk. I certainly wouldn't want to see a massive cull to remove them.  They deserve better than that. They didn't ask to be relocated to the Yukon.