Bull elk wandering Colorado highway had 30 feet of fencing tangled in its antlers

A bull elk was spotted wandering a Colorado highway tangled in 30 feet of fencing, and wildlife officials stepped in to help.

Drivers passing a busy intersection noticed the elk with massive metal fencing on its head on Tuesday, Sept. 13, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials said. The elk was wandering Estes Park near Rocky Mountain National Park.

Wildlife officials started to track down the elk, and at about 12:45 p.m., they found the animal. Officials helped it get out of traffic and tranquilized it.

“A CPW wildlife officer tranquilized the bull elk so it could be freed of the fencing entanglement and released outside of the intersection to its natural habitat,” officials said in a news release.

Officials cut the fencing and freed the elk. When it woke up from the sedation, the elk ran off.

The elk wasn’t seriously injured, and officials think it will make a full recovery.

Elk mating season has started in the western U.S., according to the National Park Service. During that time, bull elk can be unpredictable and aggressive.

Animals will also rub their antlers on trees or posts during the mating season, McClatchy News previously reported.

It’s not the first time elk have gotten tangled in things while wandering Colorado.

In January, a buck was found with a string of Christmas lights on its antlers. Days later, an elk got trapped in rope and wooden posts.

In some cases, entanglements can become serious for the animal because it could die. It can also be extremely stressful for the animal to frantically try freeing itself from whatever it may be wrapped in.

This story was originally published September 15, 2022 at 12:30 PM with the headline "Bull elk wandering Colorado highway had 30 feet of fencing tangled in its antlers."