As the saying goes, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
That was exactly what Colorado Park and Wildlife- Southwest Region officers did when they encountered a young elk bull trapped in deep mud.
The park tweeted, “Wildlife officer William Miedema took a call from the U.S. Forest Service about this small bull being stuck. Miedema and fellow wildlife officer Tyler Cerny responded to the area and found the young bull elk stuck up to its neck in mud and unable to get out.”
We’ve got a muddy wildlife rescue to share with you today!
This is a young bull elk that found itself stuck in a deep mud hole Dec. 5 near La Garita. pic.twitter.com/MVQLTwY6Pg
— CPW SW Region (@CPW_SW) December 14, 2022
Their first attempt to rescue the elk involved them grabbing his antlers and trying to pull him free, but it did not work. They realized they were going to need more power. “After a few failed attempts, it was decided to use a four-wheeler and two ratchet straps to assist in the effort,” shared the park.
It took a few tries to figure out the best placing for the straps, which ended up being at the base of his antlers.
Slowly, the elk emerged from the deep mud. He was exhausted but unharmed.
The officers wrapped the straps around the base of the antlers and hooked them to the back of the ATV. After a few attempts and readjusting, they were able to successfully rescue the elk! pic.twitter.com/Ar5UQ2yCzl
— CPW SW Region (@CPW_SW) December 14, 2022
The park thanked everyone involved in the rescue. “We want to thank the forest service for reporting this animal in distress and our wildlife officers for their quick thinking. It was a difficult task, but they got it out! Good luck out there, young bull!”
Colorado has the largest elk population in the world with over 280,000 elk calling the Centennial State home. When fully grown, elk bulls weigh 700 pounds and are eight feet long from nose to tail. Only the males have antlers, and the Rocky Mountain species has the largest antlers. The antlers alone can weigh 40 pounds.
This article by Andrea Powell was first published by The Animal Rescue Site.
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