Stray elk put down near Jackson

An elk was put down in Cape Girardeau County on Tuesday, local officials from the Missouri Department of Conservation confirmed Friday.

Conservation agents authorized a landowner to destroy the animal, which was on their property. A media person in the department's southeast region said the ear tags on the elk indicated it was not from Missouri's herd.

The tags were not visible until after the animal was killed. The Missouri Department of Conservation is investigating its origin and expects to have more information after the investigation is complete.

Elk once were abundant in Missouri, but largely disappeared by 1865 after European settlement.

The state conservation department began considering restoration of elk in 2000, and since 2011, has brought herds to the state from Kentucky. The animals were released on the Peck Ranch Conservation Area in Carter and Shannon counties, about 130 miles west of Cape Girardeau. The area is open to the public and features a 10-mile, self-guided elk viewing auto tour.