One Colorado Elk has a new lease on life after getting a tire removed from around its neck that's been there for the last two years.
The beast was subdued by Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers, who were able to tranquilize it before removing the tire on Saturday.
The elk did have to lose its antlers so that officers could remove the tire from around its neck after they found it on private property. CPW officers said the elk must have gotten the tire around its head at a young age, as it was still challenging to get off without the antlers.
The bull elk was estimated to have dropped around 35 pounds from the loss of its antlers, the tire, and debris inside the tire, according to the CPW.
"The tire was full of wet pine needles and dirt," a CPW officer told 9News. "So the pine needles, dirt, and other debris basically filled the entire bottom half of the tire. There was probably 10 pounds of debris in the tire."
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The elk was first seen with the tire in July 2019 as officers were conducting population surveys for Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and mountain goats in the Mount Evans Wilderness.
CPW officers attempted to catch the bull four times from the end of May and into June 2021. When sightings picked up in September, the park officers were able to track the beast down and finally get the job done.
The elk had the tire around its neck for more than two years, and the officers shared that it had not caused any severe damage.
“The hair was rubbed off a little bit, there was one small open wound maybe the size of a nickel or quarter, but other than that, it looked really good,” Murdoch said. “I was actually quite shocked to see how good it looked.”
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The bull was guessed to be 4 ½-years-old, weighing more than 600 pounds, and having five points on each antler.
Murdoch shared that the tire was difficult to remove even after the officers had removed the bull’s antlers.
“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,” Murdoch said. “Fortunately, the bull’s neck still had a little room to move. 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.”
