First group of elk expected in Missouri soon

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The first group of elk for Missouri's restoration project are expected to arrive in the state later this month.

The Missouri Department of Conservation says the 34 elk are expected to arrive April 30. They're completing a three-month quarantine and health tests in Kentucky before being brought to Missouri.

The elk will be placed at the department's Peck Ranch Conservation Area in southeast Missouri. The ranch is part of a 346-square-mile elk restoration zone.

The animals are expected to stay in a holding pen for up to two weeks before they're released into the refuge area, which will be closed to the public for a few months.