Fact Brief: Is Santa Clara County home to a population of elk?

Yes.

Santa Clara County is home to a population of tule elk that live along the Diablo Mountain Range, which includes Mount Diablo, Mount Hamilton and continues south along the eastern side of Santa Clara County and beyond. 

Tule elk can grow to 7 feet in length while weighing between 400 to 800 pounds. They’re found only in California and nearly became extinct due to overhunting and habitat loss. 

In the 1870s a small group of tule elk were located and protected. Now, the elk population has grown to about 6,000 animals throughout the state. 

County residents have a chance to see the local tule elk at Joseph D. Grant, Anderson and Coyote Lake-Harvey Bear Ranch county parks. 

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

San José Spotlight partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

Sources

• Santa Clara County Parks Tule Elk
• Santa Clara County Open Space Authority Tracking Tule
• Northern Santa Clara Resource Conservation District Santa Clara County's Tule Elk