Trains keep plowing into herds of animals gathered on Idaho tracks, officials say

A group of elk was struck by a train in southeast Idaho, officials say. It’s the second time this year that a herd of game animals has been killed.

About 11 elk were killed after they were hit by a train Sunday morning in Bear Lake County, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game said in a news release.

Two elk had to be killed by Fish and Game officers, and the salvageable meat was “donated to members of the community.”

A week before, 64 pronghorn were killed by a train north of Hamer, Fish and Game officials said.

“We have had these sad situations happen before during big snow events,” Curtis Hendricks, wildlife manager for the region, said in a Feb. 3 news release. “These pronghorn are unable to cross the freeway fence as they migrate west and unfortunately they ended up on the tracks where the snow isn’t as deep.”

The pronghorn weren’t willing to cross the interstate and instead stayed on the plowed railroad tracks, Fish and Game said.

When the elk were hit, Fish and Game officials said trains hitting big game animals is rare, but a herd of elk was killed in January 2019.

In that incident, 31 deer were struck by an oncoming train and died. The train was traveling north between Montpelier and Soda Springs.

“Trains hitting herds of big game animals are not common occurrences in the region,” the Department of Fish and Game said in a Feb. 1, 2019, news release.

This story was originally published February 11, 2020 at 5:45 PM with the headline "Trains keep plowing into herds of animals gathered on Idaho tracks, officials say."