September 20, 2006

Benezette Township, Elk County - A team of Pennsylvania Game Commission employees successfully engaged in a unique rescue of a bull elk that had a tire swing hanging from its left antler and was becoming weary after two days of carrying the tire around.

On Sept. 18, Game Commission officials were able to track down the three- or four-year-old six-by-six antlered elk. Initially sighted by canoers, Game Commission employees found the elk along the Sinnemahoning Creek at around 10 a.m.

"We were notified that an elk was seen wandering around with a tire and rope tangled around its left antler," said Tony Ross, Game Commission Northcentral Region Wildlife Management Supervisor. "With the rut - or breeding season - underway, some male elk will attempt to rub their antlers on trees or other objects in an attempt to mark 'their territory.' Unfortunately, sometimes these elk choose to rub on items that they become entangled in, such as swings, clotheslines or fencing.

"When we found it by the bank of the creek, it was weakened and totally exhausted. The tire had filled with water, and the weight of the water-filled tire was too much for the elk to keep its head up any longer. We needed to remove the tire and rope and, given the situation, we had to act quickly."

Unable to direct the elk away from the water, Game Commission employees decided they could not prolong their rescue any longer if they were going to prevent further stress for the animal. As other agency employees got into position, Game Commission Wildlife Conservation Officer Doty McDowell shot the elk with a tranquilizer dart to begin the rescue. Once darted, the elk ran into the creek and its head went down in the water.

"We figured that when struck with the dart, the elk would go toward the water," Ross said. "Once the drug took effect, we immediately moved in to hold the elk's head above the water so that it would not drown. With an animal weighing more than 600 pounds and sporting antlers that could inflict serious injury, we had to be careful to ensure no harm came to those engaged in the rescue, yet we had to keep the animal's health and safety in mind. It certainly was a thrilling, yet anxious, time for all involved."

After the tire and rope were removed from the elk's antlers, Game Commission biologists placed a numbered collar (#89) on the animal and will be able to track this particular animal as part of the agency's ongoing elk research.

By 3 p.m., the Game Commission team watched as the elk returned to its feet and went on its way.

Those involved in the rescue were Elk County WCO McDowell; Jon DeBerti, Game Commission elk biologist; Mark Gritzer and Josh McBride, Game Commission elk biologist aides; Game Commission Deputy WCO Ed Glover; Kevin Upperman, Game Commission technician assigned to the agency's Winslow Hill viewing area; and Dr. Walt Cottrell, Game Commission wildlife veterinarian.

Created in 1895 as an independent state agency, the Game Commission is responsible for conserving and managing all wild birds and mammals in the Commonwealth, establishing hunting seasons and bag limits, enforcing hunting and trapping laws, and managing habitat on the 1.4 million acres of State Game Lands it has purchased over the years with hunting and furtaking license dollars to safeguard wildlife habitat. The agency also conducts numerous wildlife conservation programs for schools, civic organizations and sportsmen's clubs.

The Game Commission does not receive any general state taxpayer dollars for its annual operating budget. The agency is funded by license sales revenues; the state's share of the federal Pittman-Robertson program, which is an excise tax collected through the sale of sporting arms and ammunition; and monies from the sale of oil, gas, coal, timber and minerals derived from State Game Lands.