Elk hit by vehicle Thursday in Colorado Springs

This is the damage sustained by a Jeep after it struck a bull elk in The Falcon area Thursday.

The driver wasn’t injured and the elk had to be put down by a deputy at the scene, according to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.

Witnesses reported the collision at around 6 a.m., and said the elk was so large that they thought it was a moose.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife said elk are occasionally seen along Woodmen Road but generally stay north of that area. A cow elk was seen last year near the intersection of Woodmen and Academy Boulevard.

The dispatcher for a towing company at the scene said they’ve never seen an elk/vehicle collision.