Yesterday, Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) shared photos of a recent deer rescue. The buck had 8 pounds of hammock netting and a pole trapped in his antlers. CPW was able to tranquilize the deer, but unfortunately needed to completely remove his antlers in order to save the animal. Luckily, the antlers will likely regrow next year as part of the shedding process.
Here’s CPW’s social media statement on the incident:
“This deer has a lot less weight on its head thanks to our wildlife officers. They successfully removed EIGHT POUNDS of hammock netting and a pole from this buck’s antlers last week.
After tranquilizing the deer, our officers tried to untangle the net, but time is extremely limited during these situations. Keeping in mind the stress of the animal, our officers swiftly opted to remove its antlers — rest assured, they’ll shed and regrow next year!
In a perfect world, we could walk up and easily remove the netting, but wildlife rescue is rarely that straightforward. The decision to remove the antlers was made with the deer’s well-being as our top priority. With help from our officers, this buck was able to leave the area, free of any obstructions that could have hindered its feeding or led to further entanglements. Be a good neighbor to wildlife by limiting yard decorations or sports equipment that could potentially become entangled in antlers.”
As a reminder, please be aware of any recreational netting you leave in the outdoors (including at your own home). It is unfortunately very common for deer and other animals with antlers to become caught up in man-made objects.
Photos Courtesy of Colorado Parks & Wildlife