Wildlife Officials Finally Remove Tyre from Elk's Neck after More than 2 Years

• An elk with a tyre stuck on its neck has been freed after two years
• The animal was first spotted with the tyre in 2019, and wildlife officials have been trying to remove it
• They received a tip from citizens who sighted the animal before tranquillizing it

Wildlife officials in the US have finally managed to remove a tyre from an elk's neck.

The animal, first spotted by a Colorado Parks and Wildlife officer in 2019, had been walking around with the tyre for two years.

"Being up in the wilderness, we didn't really expect to be able to get our hands on the elk just because of the proximity or the distance away from civilization.

So this elk was challenging to find and harder to get close to,” officials said in a statement.

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Since 2019, the animal was spotted numerous times, and wildlife officials monitored it and established the tyre was not hindering its ability to eat and drink.

However, they feared the animal would get entangled in tree branches.

Tyre removal

On Saturday, October 9, the officials received a tip from a community member who had spotted the elk, and they tracked it down.

They tranquillized the animal and removed the tire.

“The saga of the bull elk with a tire around its neck is over. Thanks to the residents for reporting its location, wildlife officers were able to free it of that tire Saturday,” the wildlife department announced on Twitter.

However, CNN reports it is still unknown how the animal got the tyre stuck.

Hyena naming

Recently, YEN.com.gh reported that Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary (CS) Najib Balala announced those who want hyenas named after them must pay GHc110k in exchange for the hyena-naming bragging rights.

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"Anyone who wants hyena named after them will have to pay GHc110k in exchange for the hyena-naming bragging rights," Balala said.

Speaking during the Magical Kenya Tembo Naming Festival held in Amboseli on Saturday, October 9, Balala said hyenas are not endangered and that is why they have never been a naming festive for hyenas like elephants.

"Any animal can be named, but we opted to start with the elephants because they are the once who are most endangered," he explained.

Source: YEN.com.gh