EVERGREEN, Colo. (KDVR) — Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers saved an elk after its head became entrapped in a child’s swing.
CPW said the first report came in on Saturday by Evergreen Golf Course that an elk had it’s head trapped inside a child’s swing.
The elk was found in Indian Hills on Monday and CPW officer Scott Murdoch was able to tranquilize it and remove the swing.
CPW said it also removed the antlers from the 2.5 year-old bull for safety reasons and to keep the bull from being harvested this season.
“This bull had a set of nontypical antlers, which most often happens when the pedicle or base where the antlers grow get damaged at an early age. If a bull has a damaged pedicle, the animal will likely have nontypical antlers every year,” shared CPW.
The antlers were safely removed and the elk can now freely enjoy eating and drinking without a swing on its face.
Things wildlife have become entangled in:
- Tricycles
- Tires
- Garden cages
- Clothes lines
- Plastic fencing
- Lawn chairs
- Playground equipment
- Soccer nets
- Christmas lights
Helpful tips:
- Place lights and other decorations above six feet or attached tightly to trees and buildings
- Lights that hang low or that are draped insecurely over vegetation can get tangled easily in antlers
- Report any wildlife entanglement immediately and don’t try to intervene by yourself
Residents on the Front Range can call CPW’s Denver office at 303-291-7227 to report entangled wildlife, or if elsewhere in the state they can look up their local CPW office. If it is after hours when offices are closed, residents are asked to call Colorado State Patrol at 303-239-4501 and ask for the on-call wildlife officer.