When you hear someone say, “He’s carrying around a spare tire,” that usually means the guy needs to lose some weight. For a bull elk seen around the small community of Maple Valley, Washington, about 25 miles southeast of Seattle, the meaning is quite literal.
For several weeks, locals caught glimpses of the mature bull wandering around the woods with a tire tangled in its antlers.
“Because this bull elk remains in apparent good health, and because elk begin to drop their antlers in February, we have not attempted to capture it,” Chase Gunnell, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife communications manager, told MyNorthwest. “We will continue to monitor the animal and respond to reports as capacity allows. Hopefully, the elk will drop its antlers — and the tire — soon.”
Wildlife officials urge landowners to make sure items that may become entanglements for wildlife are stored away. If there are concerns for an animal’s health or well-being, citizens are urged to contact their state fish and wildlife agency.
(Photo credit: Christian Duthweiler)