In the fall of 2021, a remarkable rescue mission came to a successful close in the forests of Colorado. Wildlife officers, working alongside the Colorado Parks and Wildlife team, finally managed to help an elk that had been roaming the wild for years with an unexpected and dangerous burden—a tire stuck around its neck. This young bull elk had been first spotted back in 2019, with the heavy rubber ring lodged tightly in place. How it ended up around his neck remains a mystery, but freeing him turned into a long and challenging pursuit.
At the time of the initial sightings, officials were focused on a separate wildlife project involving mountain goats, and they didn’t have the proper equipment to attempt a safe capture. Over the following years, the elk showed up sporadically on trail cameras, each time still burdened by the same tire. Several attempts to locate and rescue him failed, as he remained highly alert and elusive. In winter, he would blend in with large herds, making any effort to isolate him nearly impossible.
But everything shifted during the rutting season, when the animal’s guard was lowered slightly. Rangers launched yet another search, and after multiple close calls, they finally succeeded on their fourth attempt during a week-long operation. The elk was sedated with a tranquilizer, but even then, he made a last effort to escape, weaving through the trees and vanishing into the forest before eventually collapsing safely.
Up close, the damage was clear. The tire, filled with soil and debris, had cut deep into the skin of his neck. Worse still, it was reinforced with steel wires, making removal difficult. The team had to make a hard decision—they cut off his antlers in order to slide the tire off completely. After cleaning and treating the wound, they released him back into the wild.
Though he was a bit underweight for his age, the elk was in surprisingly good health. As soon as he regained consciousness, he stood up and ran, disappearing into the forest, finally free after more than two years.