Colorado Parks and Wildlife saves elk entangled in mesh fencing near Estes Park
ESTES PARK, Colo. (KRDO) -- Tuesday, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers saved a bull elk who was trapped in an intersection with 30-feet mesh fencing caught in its antlers between Highway 7 and Highway 36 near Estes Park.
According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, a local resident reported a bull elk with mesh fencing caught in its antlers at around 11 a.m.
At 12:45 p.m., Estes Park Police Department stopped traffic to help the bull elk out of the intersection.
One of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers tranquilized the bull elk so officers can remove the mesh fencing entanglement. At 2:30 p.m., officers were able to remove the fencing. The bull elk was able to run off after it woke up from being sedated.
Wildlife officers say they didn't see any serious injuries. They believe the bull elk will make a full recovery.
“Land managers rope off areas to try to prevent elk from damaging them,” said District Wildlife Manager Clayton Brossart. “It is an aspect of the landscape and shows the intersection of humans and wildlife in our urban interface. We were grateful for the opportunity to free the elk of the fencing on its antlers and remove it from the dangerous intersection. We also want to thank the local residents who reported this to us immediately, so we were able to have a quick response and freed the elk without it sustaining any serious injury.”
Name something you don’t see every day...okay we’ll go first ⬇️
— Colorado Parks and Wildlife (@COParksWildlife) September 13, 2022
Today our Wildlife Officers removed fencing stuck in a bull elk’s antlers in Estes Park. The elk was tranquilized while our officers removed the fencing and ran away from the area seemingly unharmed. pic.twitter.com/E9gWKCPMzJ
You can learn more Colorado Parks and Wildlife's study on Clear Creek elk herd here.
