Posted by Ranger Janet (165.83.6.33) on September 11, 2002 at 16:41:18:
In Reply to: Animals & Fire posted by Craig Jelica on September 11, 2002 at 15:14:26:
: Howmany animals have died because of fires in the last 5 years in the Yellowstone fires?
Hi Craig,
Thanks for your question. I don't have the count for the last 5 years, and I don't know if there is such a count. However, I do have some numbers from the 1988 fires. About 300 large mammals died as a direct result of the fires--246 elk, 9 bision, 4 mules deer and 2 moose. In the past five years fires haven't approached the magnitude of the 1988 fires, so you can assume very few animals have lost their lives in fires. Generally speaking, animals escape wildfires, except perhaps nestlings.