There’s a reason why this elk calf looked a bit haggard. You would be too if you were stuck in the bottom of an old culvert for who knows how long.
According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), it recently received a report of an elk calf stuck in an old culvert hole east of the small community of Somerset between the Oxbow and West Elk mines in western Colorado.
Andrew Taylor and Codi Inloes-Williams, both CPW district wildlife managers, responded to the scene and found the stressed calf. They worked together to tranquilize it and then used a truck winch to slowly and carefully lift it out of the hole. After a quick examination, they administered a reversal drug.
A few moments later, the young elk stood up, looked around and slowly made its way over the ridge to where it’s believed to have found the rest of the herd.
“If there was a life-saving award for elk, Andrew and Codi would have earned it,” said Brandon Diamond, CPW area wildlife manager. “Pretty wild, great effort.”
Go here to view a CPW Twitter video of the elk back on its feed.
(Photo credit: Colorado Parks and Wildlife)