"Rick Marchewka, an irrigation technician, was inspecting the course when he noticed the elk struggling in the pond.
Within minutes, the golf course’s maintenance crew, which has been busy working to get the course ready for summer, responded to the pond along with wildlife managers from the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife.
The group of five to eight people used a rope and a four-inch wide strap to pull the struggling animal from the icy pond. The process had to be repeated a second and third time after the frightened animal ran back onto the ice and fell through the ice a second and third time.
The rescuers were not deterred by the failed rescue efforts. The third time, they pulled the elk farther onto the shore, and the elk retreated into a nearby sand trap where it stood shivering.
The rescuers decided to leave the animal alone and hoped it would retreat to a safer location once they left the area.
Justin Pollock, district wildlife manager for the Division of Parks and Wildlife, said it’s not common for elk to fall through ice. He had high hopes for the animal’s recovery but admitted that a stressful incident can have a devastating impact on elk.
“It happens,” Pollock said. “It’s hard on the animal. She looked pretty good, especially standing, which is a good sign.”
Pollock said the Division of Parks and Wildlife planned to keep an eye out for her during the next few days.
“She was treading water about 8 feet off the side of the bank. … She couldn’t have got out herself, no way,” Haymaker employee and rescuer Dave Morter said. “It’s a good feeling. I hope she makes it, but that can be a pretty traumatic experience for an animal.”...(Read more? Click title)
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