The Galveston County Daily News

TEXAS CITY — Morning commuters were surprised to find a dead elk on the feeder road of Interstate 45 on Wednesday. Many were baffled about the origin of the elk, which is not native to Texas.

Dru Bents spotted the elk on the shoulder of the feeder road near Holland Road about 8:30 a.m. after he dropped off his daughter at Mainland Christian School in Texas City.

He was among dozens of motorists who called The Daily News.

Bents said, at first glance, he thought the animal was a dead deer, which would have been “unique enough.”

But then he noticed the long, shaggy hair on the animal’s neck — a telltale sign of an elk. Bents hopped out of his car and snapped a few photos before calling law enforcement.

“I was just kind of tripping out,” he said. “It’s just such an odd thing to see.”

The county’s lead game warden, Capt. Eddie Tanuz, confirmed the dead animal was indeed an elk. He said it had been dead for some time and probably was hit by a car.

While unusual to find an elk in these parts, it is not unheard of, Mariana Cortes, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife, said. A couple of weeks ago, a dead elk was found in Montgomery County, she said.

The only native elk in Texas lived in the southern part of the Guadalupe Mountains and have been extinct since the early 1900s.

Some elk live at the Bayou Wildlife Park, 5050 FM 517, but all are accounted for, park employee Lala Tello said. The owner checked the herd Wednesday morning after the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office called to inquire about the dead elk.

Tanuz said landowners sometimes place elk on their property — a likely explanation for the animal found Wednesday. A crew from the Parks and Wildlife Department removed the carcass.