Relief finally came after two years for an Elk that had its head stuck in a radial tire. The tire dangled from the young bull elk’s neck and was gathering debris which made the load even heavier to bear.
The unfortunate animal was first spotted about 30 miles west of Denver by a Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) officer but could not be tracked down and helped at that time.
The animal was spotted a few times, and CPW monitored its wellbeing.
The wildlife officials noticed that the tire wasn’t impairing its ability to eat and drink.
The officials were, however, very concerned that the tire might get stuck in branches or bushes.
The best way to find the elk was to involve the community.
A video of the elk was released, and the community was asked to report its whereabouts if spotted. The community reacted, and soon after, a sighting was reported.
The first tip of the four-year-old elk’s location came from the community of Pine, Colorado.
The officers responded and found the animal. After several attempts, they managed to tranquilize the animal to free it from the tire.
They acted fast and sadly couldn’t cut through the tire because of the metal threads inside. They had to cut the antlers and then carefully position and slide the tire off.
CPW officer Scott Murdoch stated afterward: “We would have preferred to cut the tire and leave the antlers for his rutting activity.’ Luckily, the animal is free to roam as it pleases without being dragged down by the heavy tire.
