Photo: Getty Images
A bull elk is finally free after having a tire stuck around its neck for more than two years, thanks to Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers. Wildlife officers Dawson Swanson and Scott Murdoch tranquilized the elk and removed the tire Saturday night.
Murdoch says removing the tire wasn’t easy even after cutting the elk’s antlers off:
“It was tight removing it. It was not easy for sure, we had to move it just right to get it off because we weren’t able to cut the steel in the bead of the tire. Fortunately, the bull’s neck still had a little room to move.”
CPW officials say:
“We would have preferred to cut the tire and leave the antlers for his rutting activity, but the situation was dynamic and we had to just get the tire off in any way possible.”
The elk is 4 ½ years old and weighs over 600 pounds. Officials say its hair was rubbed off a bit and there was a small open wound, but other than that it looked good. Bull elk shed and regrow their antlers every year.
Officials say it’s not unusual for elk to become entangled in everyday objects – including tricycles, garden cages, clothes lines, lawn chairs, playground equipment and Christmas lights.