Elk freed with tyre around its neck
Wildlife officials in Colorado say an elusive elk that has been wandering the hills with a car tyre around its neck for at least two years has finally been freed of the obstruction. See how Colorado wildlife officers conducted the operations
Elk got stuck with tyre for two years
The bull elk weighinh 600-pound (270-kilogram) was spotted near Pine Junction, southwest of Denver, on Saturday evening and tranquilized, as per a statement by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Elk’s antlers had to be removed
The officers cut off the elk’s five-point antlers to remove the tyre because they couldn’t slice through the steel in the bead of the tyre
Colorado wildlife officers say they had no choice
“We would have preferred to cut the tyre and leave the antlers for his rutting activity, but the situation was dynamic and we had to just get the tyre off in any way possible,” officer Scott Murdoch was quoted as saying by PTI.
Elk lost 16 kilos with the removal of antlers, tyre and trash inside the tyre
Murdoch and fellow officer Dawson Swanson estimated that the elk lost about 35 pounds (16 kilograms) with the removal of the tyre, the antlers and debris which had collected inside the tyre.
Elk was first spotted in July 2019
The wildlife officers had first spotted the elk with the tyre around its neck in July 2019 while conducting a population survey for Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and mountain goats.
Officers say animals get stuck with items all the time
They say they have seen deer, elk, moose, bears and other wildlife become entangled in a number of items, including swing sets, hammocks, clotheslines, decorative or holiday lighting, furniture, tomato cages, chicken feeders, laundry baskets, soccer goals and volleyball nets.