Officials are investigating a poaching incident in Redwood National Park that killed four elk and poses an ongoing deadly threat to condors in the region. Rangers and California Fish and Wildlife wardens are asking the public for help as they continue to search for the suspected hunters responsible.

The elk were found dead earlier this month near Williams Ridge along Bald Hills Road, which is inland of the dense coastal forests that Redwood National Park is known for, park officials said in a news release Tuesday. It's still on protected land within the park, where hunting is prohibited under both federal and state law. Officials learned that the four animals had been shot on July 21. No meat was taken, and an image published by the park service showed two of the deceased animals lying not far from each other in a patch of tall grass.

Redwood National and State Parks includes 133,000 acres of federal and state land in Northern California, where seven herds of elk have made their habitats. The herds include Roosevelt elk, a subspecies brought back from the brink of extinction thanks to careful conservation initiatives, the Pacific Forest Trust writes, calling the current population "a conservation success story" in the Pacific Northwest. In California, Roosevelt elk are only found in areas in and immediately around the Redwoods park. Most elk seen in Redwood National Park are Roosevelt elk.

"Tourists from all over the world and Californians alike enjoy the opportunity to see Roosevelt elk within their historical home range at Redwood National and State Parks," the National Park Service said in a statement. "Park rangers are committed to protecting these amazing animals and urge the public to help them in this effort."

Investigators also determined that the poachers who shot those elk used lead ammunition, further endangering a condor population that was recently reintroduced to the Redwoods. The National Park Service notes on its website that using lead-core rifle bullets in any setting means putting the health and safety of animals and humans at risk, because most pellets break into tiny fragments when they strike an animal and completely removing the fragments after the fact is hard to do. Scavengers, like condors, who go on to consume meat from that animal could be ingesting lead-tainted food as a result, which is toxic. 

Lead poisoning is the biggest threat to California condors, the park service says, citing various scientific studies. The endangered vulture is the largest land bird in North America and places in the West have taken steps in recent decades to revive the species. Working with Redwood National and State Parks and several other agencies including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Yurok Tribe, whose reservation is close to the Redwoods, reintroduced California condors to the region just two years ago, according to the park service. Poaching and illegal hunting directly undermine their efforts, officials said.

In:
• Hunting
• National Park Service
• Poaching
• California