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Show IYELLOWSTOE PARK ELK JfJIlS Report TJml the Animals Were Starving Declared- lo Be Baseless. Special to Tim. Tribune. WASHINGTON. Dec. iscrelarj Fiahcii mid today thai ntimeroua iiupilrlcj me ttrii received by tins department of tne MuiMtm- riptrdlng tltc death of a , Uivs liuiubcr i elk the Yeliowlne I'm in fivtn alAi'vAtimi limine l" winter I niondix. Tli ttuprlitt -liit of tho jwiK. ! Lieutenant Colonel lirctt. hub Itt4iriiiij ' lo InvvaUgaie the uidltlona tiiorougMy j a regard the "Ik. and he ha reported fc i lift department iIimi the elk are thrlv-tni; thrlv-tni; and doliur ta tHI If not better tliau in any other iKrllon of the iountr. The tniMt cunacnatlvc estimate places Mm Tiumlior of elk In the mrk .11 20.000. IleroloToio U has been the general lie-ll.f lie-ll.f that uioet of the park elk wont to JurkMOtr Holn for the winter. Recent careful investigation ha shown almost inclusively that the majority of the elk that tire found In Juckaon'ft Hole In the winter lifter cam- from the pork ut nil. They atHMid the xumnicr hi the high (Mountain of the nKtlonnJ. forest east of I ho nark. In reference lo feeding the elk at government epen the weerotary wyn thHt thorn Is little doubt that they would lurrcxac faster nnd the average life woukl he longer If they were fed durln.c th winter jnonlhs. hut experience experi-ence shows thiit the longer they nro fd th more dependent they hvtinc hik! the lean able to rustle for thcmaolve. It would eost 575.000 pr annum lo feed the elk In the park hik! the benefit to be derived from aueh it great expense arc considered doubtful. |