Elk gets trapped with rope and wooden posts tangled in antlers near Colorado school

An elk wandering Colorado with rope and wooden posts wrapped around its antlers became stuck in the woods near a high school, wildlife officials said.

The bull elk had at least two long, wooden posts stuck on its head and rope tangled around its antlers when it was spotted, photos posted by Colorado Parks and Wildlife on Tuesday, Jan. 11, show.

“It resulted in him being caught up in a thicket by Golden High School,” wildlife officials said on Twitter. Golden is about 15 miles west of Denver.

The rope and wooden posts essentially tied the elk to a tree, video shows. It couldn’t break free.

Wildlife officials helped the elk escape. Officers tranquilized the animal and cut the rope off its antlers, video shows.

The elk didn’t appear to be injured, but that’s not always the case, wildlife officials said.

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, wildlife officials said.

“Oftentimes we go through heroic efforts to save the animal, but sometimes we can’t save them,” wildlife officer Casey Westbrook said in a Nov. 4 news release.

Bull elk and bucks can become tangled in hanging objects when they rub their antlers on trees or posts, wildlife officials said.

Wildlife officials said hanging outdoor decorations above 6 feet can help reduce the likelihood of animals getting tangled. Additionally, hanging lights should be tightly secured to trees and buildings.

This story was originally published January 12, 2022 at 10:13 AM with the headline "Elk gets trapped with rope and wooden posts tangled in antlers near Colorado school."