DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado Parks and Wildlife spotted a rare kind of elk during a big game classification flight this week.
CPW is conducting classification flights now through February across the state for big-game species. The flights allow CPW researchers to generate population estimates and assess young animal recruitment within a population.
During a flight earlier this week, Montrose-area CPW wildlife biologist Evan Phillips spotted a rare piebald cow elk in a herd.
What makes a piebald cow elk rare?
The piebald trait is not common in elk like it is in horses or dogs.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, piebald is defined as something of different colors, especially spotted or blotched with black and white.
It’s a common enough trait in horses for some to be identified with the trait, such as paint horses and pinto horses. However, according to CPW, the piebald trait in elk occurs in about 1 out of every 100,000.
Colorado has the largest elk population in the world with somewhere around 280,000 elk, according to CPW. By this data, there could be up to three piebald elk in the state.
