The Colorado bull elk with a tire around his neck is now free after two years.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials say the elk probably got the tire around his neck when he was very young before he had antlers, or during the winter after his annual antler shed.
He's been sighted repeatedly in the woods for about two years but efforts to help him were unsuccessful. But over the weekend, two CPW officers were able to tranquilize the big elk and saw off his antlers. They were then able to remove the tire.
In a statement, the agency says, in part: "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."
According to National Geographic, Elk live primarily in western North America, especially in mountainous landscapes such as Wyoming's National Elk Refuge and Yellowstone National Park. They can stand anywhere from 4 to 5 feet tall at their shoulders and weigh up to 1,100 pounds.
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