Hunters kill escaped Tennessee elk

ALTO, Tenn., Nov. 25 (UPI) -- Hunters shot and killed a herd of elk found wandering Roark's Cove in Tennessee after the animals were found to be domesticated.

The herd of about a dozen elk had wandered the area -- where elk had not been seen for at least a century -- for about three weeks while state officials tried to determine their origin, The Nashville Tennessean reported Sunday.

When they were identified as having escaped from a nearby ranch, the state Department of Agriculture gave hunters permission to shoot the animals to avoid spreading disease to livestock. There were also concerns about liability if the animals damaged crops or were hit by cars.

Many in the area, however, were dissatisfied with the solution. Some farmers called for the elk to be captured and returned to their owners, while others decried the presence of hunters on their land.

Evidence was found that the animals were not always killed cleanly by a few shots, but instead were victims of poor marksmanship, the newspaper said. One buck was found dead after wandering injured for several days.