DNR moves 26 elk from Kentucky to forest in northwest Wisconsin

MADISON (AP) — The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has moved 26 elk from Kentucky to Jackson County in hopes of establishing a second herd in the state.

DNR spokesman Bill Cosh said the elk arrived Thursday morning. Gov. Scott Walker's office said in a news release Thursday that the elk completed a 45-day quarantine period in Kentucky and will spend at least 75 days in an acclimation pen in the Black River State Forest before they're released.

Wisconsin has had only one elk herd, which roams the woods in Ashland County. The DNR wants to bring 150 Kentucky elk in all to Wisconsin over the next two years to bolster the northern herd and create a Jackson County herd.