It took the rangers four attempts before they were able to help the animal: A deer in the US state of Colorado had worn a tire around its neck for two years. Now he’s been released.
Pine – With a heavy tire around its neck, an elk in the US state of Colorado spent two years in the wilderness – now rangers have freed it from the burden.
However, the two rangers Dawson Swanson and Scott Murdoch had to cut off the antlers during the action on Saturday, the state authority Colorado Parks and Wildlife reported on Monday. Before that, the young stag, around four and a half years old and weighing more than 270 kilograms, had to be lured out of a pack of 40 animals and stunned.
It was the fourth attempt by the rangers to help the animal in the past few weeks. The elk was spotted for the first time in July 2019 with the hoop around its neck.
The two park rangers estimated that the elk had lost almost 16 kilograms by removing its antlers and tires. “The tire was full of wet pine needles and dirt,” said Murdoch. There was probably almost five kilograms of rubbish in the tire.
Actually, they would have preferred to cut the tire and not remove the antlers – for the rutting activities of the elk, said Murdoch. But it was not possible to cut through the steel in the tire. Fortunately, there was still a little room to move around the neck. The animal only had a small wound under the tire – and the hair was a bit rubbed off.
The young deer either got the hoop around his neck as a calf or in winter when he shed his antlers, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said. It could be that the curious animal stuck its head in a pile of tires. Game rangers have already observed how smaller deer, bears and other wild animals get caught in swings, hammocks, clotheslines, soccer goals or volleyball nets – and put their heads into objects with which they then run away. Therefore, residents should keep their property free of obstacles.
Wapitis can weigh up to 450 kilograms. The antlers reach a length of up to 1.50 meters and weigh up to 15 kilograms. Every year from February onwards, the bone-made antlers are shed. They grow again until late summer in order to showcase the strength and health of the wearer during the rut in autumn. dpa
