The disappearance of the local populations of Irish Elk is not surprising, because as climate warmed they would be separated from each other by water. The situation is less clear for the Irish Elk in continental Eurasia east of the Urals. A combination of human presence along rivers and slow decrease in habitat quality in upland areas presented the last Irish Elk with the choice of either good habitat but considerable hunting pressure, or general absence of humans in a suboptimal habitat.