By Emma Taggart on October 14, 2021

This is an incredible story with a happy ending.

There are countless instances in which sea creatures get tangled in plastic waste; sadly, land animals also face the danger of man-made objects in their environments. In Colorado, a young elk spent two years with a rubber tire around its neck, until it was recently freed by wildlife officials.

It’s unknown how exactly the four-and-a-half-year-old bull elk managed to get a tire stuck around his neck, but it was integral to remove it as soon as possible. The burdened elk was first spotted in 2019, when officers from Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) were conducting a population survey of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and mountain goats in the Mount Evans Wilderness. The officers made it their mission to find the elk and remove the tire, but it was no easy feat.[…]

More: Wild Elk Is Finally Freed From Tire Stuck Around Its Neck for 2+ Years