LAKE CITY, Colo. — A bull elk was successfully rescued by wildlife officials and ice climbers after it became trapped by a rope on a cliff in a popular ice climbing location in southwestern Colorado. According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), the incident occurred on Friday morning when a group of climbers noticed the distressed elk.

The rescue operation began when a biologist from CPW tranquilized the elk and placed a ski mask over its head to shield its eyes from the surroundings. After they managed to remove the rope tangled in the elk’s antlers, the team faced the challenge of safely bringing the 700-pound (318-kilogram) creature down from the cliff edge.

The climbers who first discovered the elk played a crucial role in the rescue by assisting wildlife officers in creating a rigging system utilizing two ropes—one positioned beneath the elk’s chest and another along its antlers—to carefully lower it to the bottom of the climbing route. Once the elk was on a more stable surface, the wildlife officials worked to counteract the effects of the tranquilizer. Approximately 12 minutes later, the elk regained consciousness and swiftly ran off into the snowy canyon.

John Livingston, a spokesperson for CPW, explained that once the tranquilizing drug is reversed, it may take some time for the animal to fully regain its motor functions. He noted that while some elk might stand up quickly, they could still feel unsteady, sometimes requiring a few tries to stand fully upright.

Livingston shared that the young elk, approximately 2 1/2 years old, had likely gotten stuck the night before and was found exhausted with some minor scrapes that resulted from its attempts to escape. The entire rescue process took more than two hours.

Elk are known to occasionally get their large antlers caught in various human-made objects, including clotheslines, fences, and hammocks, posing risks to their safety in natural areas.