Elk was rescued after living with tire around his neck for two years

Wildlife suffers from human activity in many different ways, but the most unpleasant things are those that could have been avoided. If a Colorado car owner had disposed of his used tires, this story would not have happened.

Park rangers first learned about an elk with an unusual «ornament» two years ago, during a routine wildlife survey. The animal was tracked for a long time, and since May of this year, they have tried to cross paths with it to provide assistance.

After years of trying to get the tire off, the perfect opportunity finally presented itself.

Wildlife officer Dawson Swanson was able to react quickly to a report from a resident who spotted the elk in their area. He was able to find it along with a herd of around 40 other elk.

Wildlife Service officers were able to track the elk, but removing the tire from its neck proved to be a challenge. They tranquilized the animal and tried to cut the tire with an electric cutter. But they couldn’t cut the steel frame of the tire, so they decided to cut the antlers that were preventing the tire from coming off the animal’s neck. Elk grow antlers every year, so the animal was not harmed.

«We wanted to cut the tire, but the situation was difficult and we had to remove the tire any way we could,» said Officer Scott Murdock.