For two long years, a young bull elk wandered the Colorado mountains with a car tire stubbornly dangling around his neck. It was a spectacle both tragic and absurd—a wild creature carrying the weight of human negligence through forests, meadows, and neighborhoods, yet somehow thriving.
Wildlife authorities had been tracking the elk since first spotting him, but getting close enough to safely tranquilize the animal proved impossible. Finally, last Saturday evening, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers Dawson Swanson and Scott Murdoch cornered the four-year-old bull at around 8:00 p.m., ready to give him the freedom he had long deserved.
Trail camera footage confirmed that the tire hadn’t stopped him from eating or drinking, but the danger was real. Officers worried that during the rut, the tire could get caught in branches—or worse, tangle with another elk’s antlers—potentially causing serious injury.
The call that led to the successful rescue came from a local resident who spotted the bull elk near their home. “I am just grateful to be able to work in a community that values our state’s wildlife resource,” Swanson said. “We were able to locate the bull along with a herd of about 40 other elk.”
Getting close enough to deliver a tranquilizer dart was tense work. At over 600 pounds and sporting ten impressive points, the elk was a formidable sight. To remove the tire, the officers had to make a difficult choice: one of the bull’s antlers had to come down. The steel-reinforced tire could not be cut without it. Inside, they found nearly 10 pounds of debris that had accumulated over time, though thankfully it had caused little harm to the elk’s health.
“The hair was rubbed off a little, and there was one small open wound maybe the size of a nickel or quarter,” Murdoch explained. “Other than that, he looked really good. I was quite shocked to see how well he had fared.”
The bull had spent the past few years roaming back and forth between Park and Jefferson Counties, disappearing for long periods, especially in winter. Like any wild animal, he kept his distance from humans, moving through the rugged landscape with caution and instinct.
The saga has also served as a stark reminder to residents about coexisting with wildlife responsibly. From swing sets and hammocks to holiday lights and laundry lines, man-made obstacles can become life-threatening traps for deer, elk, moose, bears, and countless other creatures.
Finally freed, the bull elk can now roam without restriction, his strength and spirit unburdened once again. It is a story of patience, persistence, and a hard-won rescue—a reminder that sometimes, even the wildest creatures need a helping hand.
