An elk that roamed Colorado with a tire around its neck for two years has been rescued.
Wildlife officers successfully tranquilized the elk on Saturday to remove the tire from its neck.
Dawson Swanson and Scott Murdoch of Colorado Parks and Wildlife intervened after a resident near Pine Junction reported a sighting.
“I quickly responded to a local resident’s report of this elk in their neighborhood. I located the bull along with a group of around 40 other elk,” mentioned Swanson, as per a CPW post.
According to KDVR, officers had previously tried to tranquilize the elk earlier in the week and on multiple occasions earlier in the year without success.
“Darting equipment has limitations, especially with numerous elk in motion and other environmental factors. It requires favorable conditions to make a shot,” Swanson explained.
Once the elk, estimated to be 4.5 years old and weighing over 550 pounds, was tranquilized, the officers promptly removed the tire.
“Removing the tire was quite challenging,” stated Murdoch. “We had to maneuver the elk significantly to get it off because cutting the steel within the tire was not an option. Fortunately, there was some room to maneuver on the bull’s neck.”
Although they had to remove one of the elk’s antlers to free it from the tire, they were determined to resolve the situation.
Despite enduring two years with the tire around its neck, the elk was found to be in surprisingly good condition.
“There was some hair loss and a small wound, similar in size to a nickel or a quarter, but overall, it was in good health,” Murdoch remarked.
After removing the tire, the officers administered a reversal agent to awaken the elk from sedation, and within minutes, it was back on its feet!
With the tire removed, it’s believed that the elk has shed some weight.
“The tire was filled with wet pine needles and dirt,” Murdoch explained.
“The lower half of the tire was essentially packed with pine needles, dirt, and debris, weighing around 20 pounds.”
A big thank you to everyone involved in freeing the elk!
Kindly share this story to raise awareness about the risks our waste poses to animals.
