Wildlife Officers Free Elk Caught In Hammock
EVERGREEN, Colo. (CBS4) - Colorado Parks & Wildlife rescued a bull elk that got tangled in someone's hammock. Officers responded to Evergreen.
"There were concerns was it obstructing its face, wrapped around its neck. We also saw it was kind of sparing with some other bulls, so then you worry about it getting tangled, caught with another bull elk," said Jason Clay with Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
We recently received a call of a bull #elk in Evergreen with a hammock tangled around its head. Wildlife officers responded and were able to free the entanglement. The bull was back up feeding and interacting with another bulls within 27 minutes. #WildlifeRescue pic.twitter.com/L8UliPIrXh
— CPW NE Region (@CPW_NE) January 28, 2020
Responders needed to be careful, bull elks can easily weigh 600-800 lbs. They used a tranquilizer to sedate the elk, cut out the entanglement, and then gave it a reversal drug to wake it up.
Officials say it's not uncommon to see an animal with an entanglement in its antlers and say people can help by taking down potential hazards in their yards.
"Look at what could they get caught on. We see it a lot with hammocks, Christmas lights, sports netting, and soccer goals," Clay told CBS4.
CPW says after the rescue the bull was back up feeding and interacting with other bulls within 27 minutes.