LANDER - A herd of elk near Rawlins appears to have finally moved to safety, after nearly 80 animals died from eating poisonous lichen there.

"I feel like this is the first good news I've been able to give anybody in a while," said Erin Smith, spokeswoman for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department's Lander region. "It looks like we won't have near the loss we had in '04."

Four years ago, more than 300 elk of an 800-animal herd suffered paralysis and died in the Red Rim area southwest of Rawlins, and scientific trials shortly after the event showed that lichen was the culprit.

It was later determined that an acid in the lichen can be toxic to elk, even though antelope and sheep have been known for decades to eat the same fare, with no ill effect.

This winter's herd - with about 500 fewer head than in 2004 - finally moved out of the Red Rim area Wednesday, Smith said, and most of the animals now appear to be out of danger.

"That doesn't mean that we still might not lose a few - we did see some red urine as they moved off," she said. Red urine is a symptom elk exhibit after eating lichen in the Red Rim area.

"They could always come back, but they're out of that area as of (Wednesday), and we're very hopeful the end is in sight," Smith said. "Everything's melted off there, and spring's coming in, and they're ready to get back to their summer habitat."

It's impossible to predict how many more elk might become paralyzed, Smith said, but as they move farther away, the chances diminish that any more will drop.

Most of the 300 elk that died in 2004, and the 78 so far this year, lay down, alert, but were unable to ever get up again.

Many died where they dropped and were later discovered, and many more were euthanized by Game and Fish personnel.

About 15 staff members with Game and Fish, including biologists and game wardens from every region of the state, were dispatched to the Red Rim area in recent days to help locate all of the afflicted and dead elk, and to bait the healthy elk to safety, Smith said.

Workers in the field also assisted Game and Fish Laboratory and Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory scientists with field necropsies and in the collection of evidence to be analyzed later.

Necropsies have been performed on 19 elk so far, and results are pending, according to Game and Fish Wildlife Veterinarian Cynthia Tate. Samples must still be sent to a specialist in Texas before the department can confirm that toxic lichen is, indeed, the culprit once again.

But Rebecca Dailey, a researcher at the University of Wyoming's State Veterinary Laboratory, said after she spent Monday and Tuesday in the field, the current elk die-off appears to be a repeat of the 2004 poisonings.

Because these animals are dying from exposure to a poison, the Game and Fish Department will not donate or distribute the meat to anybody as it does with its brucellosis test-and-slaughter program, said Eric Keszler, a spokesman for the agency.

"These animals are dying from a toxin, and we don't know what effect that might have on the meat," Keszler said.

Since the elk moved out of the area Wednesday, Game and Fish staff members will return to their respective regions, Smith said, and the Rawlins personnel will resume monitoring the herd on their own.

Environment reporter Chris Merrill can be reached at chris.merrill@trib.com or at (307) 267-6722.