Elk in Minnesota. Photo from Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians is seeking to bring wild elk back to the tribe's reservation in Minnesota.

The animals were once plentiful in the sate but their numbers fell significantly due to excessive hunting. Bringing them back to the reservation could lead to tourism opportunities and controlled subsistence and sport hunts.

"It's restoring not just a part of the band's wildlife heritage but everybody's wildlife heritage," Mike Schrage, the tribe's wildlife biologist, told the Associated Press. "We used to have thousands of elk in the state and we're down to 130."

The tribe is contributing money toward a feasibility study that the University of Minnesota intends to conduct after securing money from the state, the AP reported.

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Tribe dreams about elks' return (AP 1/28)