Thread: tell me about Wapiti

Originally Posted by Carlsen Highway

I have made expeditions to the Wapiti blocks twice. On the first I got burned nearly to death, and on the second drowned nearly to death. Had that have happened at the same time it would have been more convenient.
I had only moments to record this animal, and scratched it out with a hurried pencil before it disappeared. In vague hopes of having this animal identified, difficult because the vague drawing I was able to do under difficult circumstances, I posted this to the NZ Wapiti foundation. After examining this evidence, they pronounced this creature to be a Red Deer, with some wapiti blood, although they could not tell me how much, although I pressed them hard. Plainly wapiti are different to what I believed.



After some initial misgivings and considerable thought on the matter, I sent them also the following image, which I managed to get after wrestling this creature to the ground and then staring him in the eyes until he froze. I hypothesise that Wapiti have a defense mechanism where they lie still and hope you'll go away. I am hoping they can tell me how much red deer DNA are in this wapiti -



They havn't replied yet. So after taking another sample of Wapiti, I endeavoured to examine the creature myself and come to my own conclusions. Here I am trying to see how much red deer DNA is in this Wapiti -



Here I am looking for a Wapiti everywhere -



At last! I thought I got one, but I have sent this photo off to Canada, because upon reflection, it seems its actually some kind of Fiordland moose.

The animal you have drawn would test at about 65% Pure Wapiti DNA. The shot animal in the last photo is without doubt showing DNA from the Irish Elk. The flying Wapiti is an interesting genetic adaptation to a difficult environment, no doubt facilitating the seasonal movements between valleys and aiding rapid escape from Helicopters