CPW Wildlife Officers rescue bull elk entangled and tied to a tree in Golden

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Jason Clay
Northeast Region Public Information Officer
303-291-7234 / [email protected]
@CPW_NE

This bull elk got roping entangled in its antlers and later became stuck to several trees on Tuesday morning. (photo by Jason Clay/CPW)

GOLDEN, Colo. - Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers rescued a bull elk that had become entangled in roping and was hung up on several trees near Golden High School.

Around 8:15 a.m. Tuesday, a local resident reported seeing the bull elk with the rope caught in its antlers and a lengthy portion of it trailing behind. The bull elk became entangled in a thicket near 24th Street and Cheyenne Drive. Wildlife officers arrived on the scene at 9 a.m. and were assisted by Golden Police Department’s Animal Management unit.

A CPW wildlife officer tranquilized the bull elk so it could be freed of the entanglement. By 10:25 a.m., the roping was removed and after receiving a reversal agent to wake it from the sedation, it ran off.

[WATCH] video of the rescue effort

Wildlife officers did not observe any serious injuries and other than being exhausted, they believe the elk will have a full recovery.

“Land managers rope off areas to try to prevent elk from damaging them,” said Area Wildlife Manager Matt Martinez. “It is an aspect of the landscape and shows the intersection of humans and wildlife in our urban interface. Land managers have every right to protect their property and the ones in Golden do as good of a job as they can to mitigate conflicts like these. We appreciate their efforts, but these things still can and do happen.

“Thanks to the local resident who reported this immediately, we were able to have a quick response and freed the elk without it sustaining any serious injury.”

CPW is in the midst of a five-year study to better understand elk movements and land use in the Golden area. Results will help inform wildlife managers of possible management strategies related to herd management plan objectives and habitat use.

To learn more on CPW’s study of this Clear Creek elk herd, please read the story or watch the video on the study.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is an enterprise agency, relying primarily on license sales, state parks fees and registration fees to support its operations, including: 43 state parks and more than 350 wildlife areas covering approximately 900,000 acres, management of fishing and hunting, wildlife watching, camping, motorized and non-motorized trails, boating and outdoor education. CPW's work contributes approximately $6 billion in total economic impact annually throughout Colorado.