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Bull Elk Gets Assist from Colorado Officers After Getting Stuck in Net

CPW to the Rescue: A young bull elk became stuck in a residential net, leaving wildlife officers with the task of untangling the massive male.

With over a quarter-million elk calling the state home, Coloradoans are bound to have run-ins with these majestic megafauna. The second-largest cervids in North America (beneath only the moose), these enormous deer can get into big trouble fast.

As beautiful as they are, there’s no handling a wild elk – especially when they’re frightened or injured. Their sheer size and immense, sharp antlers can make them deadly. Which is exactly why Colorado Parks & Wildlife had to use tranquilizers to help this 2-year-old bull.

In Genesee, Colorado, the young elk became entangled in a residential net and was panicking. CPW would receive the distress call on Sunday, and immediately went into action.

Once there, the wildlife officers knew they had to tranquilize the young bull elk, then did so. Once sedated, CPW officers were able to remove the mass of net from the bull’s horns and neck.

“Wildlife officers responded to a call in Genesee of an elk caught in some netting. They were able to tranquilize the elk, which was a bull under two years old, and free it of the entanglement,” CPW’s Northeast Region writes to their official Twitter Sunday.

Within, CPW includes several shots of the bull elk and his predicament. Quite a bit of wreckage lies in his wake, with massive flower pots snapped in two from the youngster’s panic-fueled struggle.

Bull Elk’s Tangled Nightmare Ends Thanks to Brave CPW Officers

Local FOX 31 would report the incident, citing that “Objects like netting and lights in areas where wildlife roam are common culprits for these types of situations.”

As a result. CPW reminds residents to be aware of their outdoor decorations. Doing the following can decrease the likelihood of injuring wildlife significantly:

  • Place lights and other decorations above six feet or attached tightly to trees and buildings
  • Lights that hang low or that are draped insecurely over vegetation can get tangled easily in antlers
  • Report any wildlife entanglement immediately and don’t try to intervene by yourself

FOX 31 cites another recent incident where a deer buck’s antlers had to be removed after a residential hammock ensnared him. It’s a common occurrence that, unfortunately, there is no foolproof way to 100% avoid.

And in an even more harrowing Colorado happenstance, the state’s infamous “Tire Elk” was finally freed of his tire recently.

The poor creature wound up with a tire around his neck at a very young age before his antlers had matured and filled in for the season. Sadly, CPW officers had to remove his massive, beautiful antlers after sedation to get the tire off. It’s an excellent trade-off, however, as now the bull elk can live out the rest of his life uninhibited by human trash.