We often come across situations where sea creatures die because of tons of waste discarded in the ocean. Unfortunately, land animals also suffer due to the careless actions of humans. They too face numerous dangers as a result of man-made objects in their surroundings. This young elk from Colorado has lived with a rubber tire around his neck, for the past two years. Just a few days ago, wildlife officials freed the four-and-a-half-year-old elk.
The exact way of how the elk got a tire around his neck is unknown. However, removing it as soon as possible was very important. The troubled elk was initially spotted in 2019. Although wildlife officers at Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) were determined to find and help the elk, it wasn’t an easy task.
Here is some video of this bull elk over the past two years. pic.twitter.com/R6t9nNPOyb
— CPW NE Region (@CPW_NE) October 11, 2021
In a press release, Scott Murdoch, a CPW officer, stated that they didn’t really expect to be able to help the elk. This is because the elk are up in the wild, away from civilization. He explained that usually, the animals tend to act more wild and violent the further they are from people. Therefore, undoubtedly, finding and approaching this young elk was a really tough task.
We first learned of this elk with a tire around its neck in July 2019 when wildlife officer Jared Lamb saw it during a survey near Mount Evans. In this video, wildlife officer Scott Murdoch discusses the situation & what it would take to remove the tire.https://t.co/Frwi3kaXlc pic.twitter.com/xRrZ9nNChw
— CPW NE Region (@CPW_NE) August 14, 2020
Ever since the first sighting, the burdened elk appeared on trial cameras multiple times. Its ability to eat and drink wasn’t hindered by the tire. However, it needed to be removed as the tire can get trees, fencing, other elks’ antlers, etc, eventually causing harm to the young elk. The elk, along with its herd, moved into residential areas this year. Thanks to this, wildlife officers could finally locate him.
Watch The Trial Camera Footages Below
After four failed attempts in the same week, the tire was finally removed on Saturday, October 9. The animals weighing 600 pounds were first tranquilized safely. After that, its antlers were cut off and the tire was removed. The officers initially intended to get the tire off without removing the antlers. However, the situation was dynamic and they had to get the tire no matter what. Fortunately, by springtime, the elk will have a new set of antlers.
The saga of the bull elk with a tire around its neck is over. Thanks to the residents just south of Pine Junction on CR 126 for reporting its location, wildlife officers were able to free it of that tire Saturday.
Story: https://t.co/WHfkfPuAck
?’s courtesy of Pat Hemstreet pic.twitter.com/OcnceuZrpk
— CPW NE Region (@CPW_NE) October 11, 2021
When the tire was taken off, the elk lost around 35 pounds. The tire also consisted of around 10 pounds of debris. However, despite carrying all this for two years, the young elk was in surprisingly good condition.
