A bull elk in Golden on Tuesday morning with rope wrapped around its antlers became further entangled in trees in a thicket before the animal was freed by wildlife officers.

The incident unfolded at about 8:15 a.m. Tuesday when a local resident reported sighting the distressed elk in the area of 24th Street and Cheyenne Drive, near Golden High School, according to a Colorado Parks and Wildlife news release.

CPW officers arrived on scene at about 9 a.m. and were assisted by the Golden Police Animal Management unit. The trapped elk was tranquilized, released from the entanglement and then given a reversal agent to counter the sedation. The elk was tagged as part of the process.

Responders didn’t see any serious injuries, although the bull was exhausted. It ran off and officials believe the elk will fully recover. The rescue was recorded on video and posted on YouTube.

“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,” said Area Wildlife Manager Matt Martinez, in the release.

Land managers rope off areas in attempts to prevent elk from damaging properties, Martinez said.

“It is an aspect of the landscape and shows the intersection of humans and wildlife in our urban interface,” Martinez said. “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.”

CPW is currently involved in a five-year study looking at elk movements and land use in the Golden area, the news release said. The study will lead to possible herd management strategies, as well as habitat use objectives.

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