Elk Who Lived With Tire Around His Neck For 2 Years Is Finally Freed

People spotted this deer with a neck splint in the forests of Colorado. However, tracking and catching the animal proved extremely difficult. In addition, it was very afraid of any interaction with people, and immediately ran away as soon as they tried to help it.
Not long ago, a local resident saw a deer again in the area and contacted the CPW Animal Rescue Center. Their staff immediately responded, and began developing a plan to free the animal.
“The further these elk are away from people, the wilder they act,” wildlife officer Scott Murdoch said in a press release. “That certainly played true the last couple of years. This elk was difficult to find and harder to get close to.”
The two employees were finally able to track down the deer. Using a dart with sleeping pills, they temporarily sedated the deer for safety’s sake and began to remove the tire. They used a special saw, and eventually, they succeeded! The deer got rid of as much as 10 pounds of weight that it had been living with all those 2 years.
“I was able to quickly respond to a report from a local resident regarding a recent sighting of this bull elk in their neighborhood,” wildlife officer Dawson Swanson said in a press release. “I was able to locate the bull in question along with a herd of about 40 other elk.”
Fortunately, the tire did not harm the deer in any way. Luckily, the tire hadn’t caused too much damage to the elk’s neck, and he’s expected to heal quickly. “The hair was rubbed off a little bit, there was one small open wound maybe the size of a nickel or quarter, but other than that it looked really good,” Murdoch said. “I was actually quite shocked to see how good it looked.”
Later he woke up and went about his business, probably not realizing at first where his “necklace” had gone. Thanks to the good people for saving him!