Wednesday, Sep 16, 2026

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.

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

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Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by newsrooms in the Gigafact network.

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

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