ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK – Two elk poaching incidents have been reported at Rocky Mountain National Park in the last week.

According to the Public Affairs Officer, Kyle Patterson, park visitors discovered a dead bull elk next to Trail Ridge Road, near the Ute Crossing Trail Saturday morning. Park rangers responded to the area and discovered the large bull elk had been poached late Friday night or early Saturday morning.

Earlier in the week, park rangers also discovered a large bull elk that had been poached near Milner Pass on Trail Ridge Road. The incident happened in the late hours of Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning.

Park rangers said the bull’s carcass was found as the animal was beheaded. The group of elk near Milner Pass are known to frequent the area. Park rangers are asking for any photos taken of the animals in that area.

Anyone with information on the incident is urged to call or text the National Park Service Investigative Services Bureau at 888-653-0009 or call Operation Game Thief at 1-800-332-4155.

Anyone providing information that leads to an arrest is eligible for a monetary reward. Both incidents remain under investigation.

The public is also urged to report any suspicious activity, as “these egregious poaching incidents have robbed park visitors from this experience and killed two strong bull elk during the rutting season.”