BC Conservation Data Centre: Conservation Status Report
Cervus canadensis
Elk
| Scientific Name: | Cervus canadensis |
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| Scientific Name Synonyms: |
Cervus canadensis
Cervus elaphus |
| English Name: | Elk |
| Provincial Status Summary | |
| Status: | S5 |
| Date Status Assigned: | January 15, 2007 |
| Date Last Reviewed: | March 11, 2024 |
| Reasons: | Widespread, numerous and stable to increasing across much of the province. One of the subspecies, Roosevelt Elk, are still below historical numbers. |
| Range | |
| Range Extent: | G = 200,000-2,500,000 square km |
| Range Extent Estimate (km2): | 751,000 |
| Range Extent Comments: | Elk are widespread in British Columbia from Vancouver Island through to the Alberta BC border along the southern border and north almost to the Yukon. It is absent except for strays, from much of extreme nw BC. There are two subspecies of elk in BC: Cervus elaphus nelsoni (Rocky Mountain Elk) and C.e. roosevelti (Roosevelt Elk) (McTaggart-Cowan and Guiguet 1973). Roosevelt Elk are found on Vancouver Island and the sw mainland. There is a small introduced population of Rocky Mountain Elk on Graham Island in Haida Gwaii (Shackelton 1999) that was not included in the calculation of range extent. The minimum convex polygon for this species is 751,000 square km. |
| Occurrences & Population | |
| Number of Occurrences: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Comments: | The element occurrence concept for mammals with large home ranges does not always best represent the rarity category as used when calculating the status rank using NatureServe methods. In the case of Elk, population size and other factors will be weighted (L. Gelling, pers. comm. 2024). |
| Number of Occurrences with Good Viability / Ecological Integrity: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Number of Occurrences Appropriately Protected & Managed: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Population Size: | F = 10,000 - 100,000 individuals |
| Comments: | The 2022 provincial estimate for this species is 35,000 to 71,500 individuals (B.C. Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship 2022). |
| Threats (to population, occurrences, or area affected) | |
| Degree of Threat: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Comments: |
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) was first found in British Columbia in 2024 in the Kootenays, with one infected Mule Deer and one infected White-tailed Deer. The disease causes premature death in deer, moose, elk and caribou and can, in the long term, cause local extirpations and declines in populations (B.C. Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship 2024). Best management practices for Chronic Wasting Disease can be found at https://cwd-info.org/ |
| Trend (in population, range, area occupied, and/or condition of occurrences) | |
| Short-Term Trend: | GH = Relatively Stable to increase of <25% |
| Comments: | The 2022 Provincial estimates lists the species as stable to increasing, or increasing in 7 out of 8 regions in British Columbia and stable to decreasing in only one region (B.C. Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship 2022), |
| Long-Term Trend: | G = Relatively Stable (<=10% change) |
| Comments: | Widespread and increasing in much of the province and recovering from a depleted population in the 1800s. Recovery has been aided by active management including re-introductions (Kuzyk et al. 2013). Still at below historic levels in some areas, especially Roosevelt Elk (see separate assessment for this ssp). |
| Other Factors | |
| Intrinsic Vulnerability: | C=Not intrinsically vulnerable |
| Environmental Specificity: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Other Rank Considerations: | |
| Information Gaps | |
| Research Needs: | |
| Inventory Needs: | |
| Stewardship | |
| Protection: | |
| Management: | Best management practices for Chronic Wasting Disease can be found at https://cwd-info.org/ |
| Version | |
| Author: | Fraser, D.F. (2023) |
| Date: | November 30, 2023 |
| References | |
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British Columbia Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship. 2024. B.C. responds to first cases of chronic wasting disease in deer. Information bulletin (February 1st, 2024). https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2024WLRS0005-000125 Accessed April 24, 2024.
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Cowan, I.M. and C.J. Guiguet. 1973. Mammals of British Columbia. BC Provincial Museum Guidebook 11. Victoria BC. 413 pp.
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Kuzyk, G., A. Reid, T. Szkorupa, A. Goddard, C. Procter, D. Reynolds, S. Pendergast. 2013. Status of deer and elk in British Columbia (1981-2013). Proceedings of the 10th Western States and Provinces Deer and Elk Workshop, Missoula, Montana. pp 71-93
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Shackleton, D. 1999. Hoofed Mammals of British Columbia. UBC Press in collaboration with Royal B.C. Mus. 272pp.
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for information on how the CDC determines conservation status ranks. For global conservation status reports and ranks, please visit the NatureServe website http://www.natureserve.org/.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2023. Conservation Status Report: Cervus canadensis. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Feb 9, 2026).