.png)
Colorado Parks and Wildlife Urges Residents to Secure Yard Items and Decorations to Protect Deer and Elk from Entanglement
Description: A bull elk in Evergreen is pictured with a hammock tangled in its antlers. CPW urges Coloradans to secure yard items and holiday decorations to prevent deer and elk from getting entangled during fall and winter seasons.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife Urges Residents to Secure Yard Items and Decorations to Protect Deer and Elk from Entanglement
DURANGO, Colo. – Across the state, District Wildlife Managers from Colorado Parks and Wildlife have been responding to incidents of wildlife, particularly antlered ungulates, caught in various hazards.
From bull elk with hammocks in their antlers to mule deer with tomato cages wrapped around their bodies, CPW officers see a wide range of human garden equipment and recreational items that wildlife get entangled in. Holiday decorations, including Halloween, add an extra element on the landscape that elk, deer and moose can unknowingly become attached to.
“We see it every year, and it always gets worse this time of year,” said CPW Assistant Area Wildlife Manager Steve McClung of Durango. “Right now is a great opportunity to clean up your yard of items a curious animal might stick its nose in or get wrapped up in. And when you’re putting up holiday decorations, keep our wildlife in mind. These impairments can really affect their mobility, vision and ability to eat and drink.”
CPW officers in Evergreen have responded to multiple incidents this month, including a cow elk with a metal patio chair stuck around its neck and a bull elk with a hammock wrapped in its antlers.
In Pagosa Springs, wildlife officer Nate Martinez recently responded when a mule deer with wire from a tomato cage wrapped around her torso that had begun to cut through her back.
“After eluding officers for several days, thanks to the help of many concerned neighbors, we were able to track her down, sedate her and cut off the wire ring from the tomato cage,” Martinez said.
People can do their part to be a good neighbor to wildlife by putting away summer recreational and landscaping equipment that is not in use and by making sure holiday lights and decorations are secured tightly wherever they are hung.
Bucks can be especially prone to these situations this time of year. During the rut – or breeding season – bucks will rub their antlers on objects to mark territory and signal their presence to other bucks. The rut has started for deer and will hit its peak in mid-November through December.
When animals such as deer and elk become entangled, stress and physical exhaustion caused by trying to break free can lead to death.
Wildlife officers can often get deer untangled if they are nearby and notified in a timely manner. In some cases, they will cut off the animal’s antlers to free it. In other instances, they can remove the object.
Some cases do not require human assistance if the entanglement is not preventing the animal from eating or drinking or if there is low risk that the animal could get caught up in other items that would prevent it from being mobile. In those instances, the animal will be free of the burden when it sheds its antlers.
“We need to know about these situations quickly,” McClung said. “It’s best if we can get to these animals before they’ve undergone too much stress and have exhausted themselves. Darting them also creates stress and can lead to mortality if the animal has already been stressed too much.
“If the animal is not tethered to what it is tangled in, it can be difficult to chase them through a neighborhood and get into a position to dart them, or sometimes they disappear and we never catch up to help them. The sooner we get information, the more likely we will be able to assist that animal.”
Because Halloween decorations have grown in popularity, CPW has responded to increased incidents in recent years. CPW recommends holiday lights and decorations be placed higher than six feet or attached tightly to trees and buildings. Lights or artificial webs that hang low or are draped insecurely over vegetation easily get tangled in antlers.
“Deer are curious and want to check out something that’s hanging along their path or a bucket to see if it’s food,” McClung said. “They may stick their nose in and get those objects stuck around their face or get the handle caught on an antler.”
If you see wildlife that does become entangled, report it directly to CPW by calling the office local to you or through Colorado State Patrol dispatch if it is outside of normal business hours. When calling CSP, they will relay your information to the on-call wildlife officer in your area.
Be prepared when calling with information regarding the animal’s location and time observed, its behavior, whether it is tied to an object or still mobile and if the hazard is preventing the animal from eating, drinking or breathing.
Never try to free an animal from an entanglement yourself. A stressed animal may act more aggressively and their hooves and antlers can cause serious injury.
During the fall breeding season, it is important to give antlered wildlife more space and to use increased caution in their presence. During the rut, these animals have a one-track mind looking for a mate. They can become agitated if any other animal, object or person appears to be posing a challenge. Dogs are often targets and can be badly injured by a buck’s antlers.
Deer can become aggressive toward humans, too, so stay well away from them. Attacks get reported around the state each fall.
Deer regularly found in neighborhoods may appear docile and not pay much attention to the presence of humans much of the year but may behave more aggressively this time of year.
To learn more about living with wildlife, go to the CPW website.
