So check this out: this is a bull elk that had been living for AT LEAST two years with a flippin' tire around its neck!
This has apparently been a running story in Colorado and the surrounding areas, but, fortunately, it's come to an end.
The elk had been spotted over and over—in person and on trail cams—since it's first sighting back in July of 2019. Like any wild animal, it avoided human interaction whenever possible, so it's been hard to track down.
Last week, however, wildlife officers in Colorado were finally able to find him with help from locals who reported the elk in their area.
Saturday evening, officer Swanson was in a neighborhood looking for this elk that was reported in the area earlier in the day. He found it in a group of elk and maneuvered into a location where he thought it was going to cross. Swanson was able to successfully tranquilize the bull. [Officer] Murdoch arrived to aid in the removal operation before the two set him free.
The officers first tried to cut the tire itself, but that didn't work. So they decided to cut off the bull's antlers and pull the tire off over its head. This was the ticket, and they were able to set the guy free.
Here's something crazy:
Swanson and Murdoch estimated that the bull elk dropped roughly 35 pounds between the removal of the tire, his antlers and the debris that was inside the tire.
Get this: not only was that elk walking around with the extra weight of that tire, but THERE WERE 10 POUNDS OF DEBRIS INSIDE THE TIRE, TOO.
The officers noted that the elks neck wasn't too damaged, and looked way more normal than they thought it would.
Well, I'm glad they got that thing off of there and everyone is okay.
Because that was one tired elk.
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