LAKE CITY, Colo. (AP) — At a well-known ice climbing location in southwestern Colorado, a bull elk became caught in a rope. Wildlife officials and a few climbers helped the animal escape by lowering it down a cliff.
According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife authorities, the terrified elk was spotted by a group of ice climbers in Lake City on Friday morning. During the rescue, a CPW biologist gave it a sedative and covered a portion of its head with a ski mask to protect its eyes.
In order to remove the 700-pound elk from the climbing wall, the team had to clip the rope away from its antlers.
At that point, the ice climbers who had reported the stranded elk saved the day by assisting state wildlife officers in setting up a mechanism that would lower it to the route’s base using two ropes: one along its horns and one beneath its chest. About 12 minutes after the CPW crew reversed the tranquilizer’s effects and the elk was on more level ground, it woke up and fled down the icy canyon.
It may take many minutes for the animal to regain full physical function once we counteract that sedative medication. According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson John Livingston, sometimes they may rise up fast but still feel unsteady on their feet, and other times it will take them many tries to stand up completely.
Friday, Jan. 3, 2025: At an ice climbing area in Lake City, southern Colorado, a bull elk gets tangled in a rope and is rescued by climbers and wildlife officials. (Parks and Wildlife in Colorado via AP)AP
According to him, the 2 1/2-year-old elk became stuck the night before and was found around morning, exhausted and with some small cuts from attempting to escape. The animal’s release took over two hours.
Elk occasionally wrap their unmanageable antlers in artificial hazards like hammocks, fences, and clotheslines.
The Great Outdoors
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