WATCH: Elk Rescued after Falling Down Colorado Mine Shaft
Colorado Parks and Wildlife posted an unusual rescue story on Tuesday after a woman found an elk stuck in a Colorado mine shaft.
According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Chere Waters was on a hike in the upper Rio Grande Valley when she came across an old mine shaft. Her curiosity got the best of her and she decided to take a look down it. To her surprise, about 30 feet down the shaft was a 250 pound cow elk.
When wildlife officials arrived, they used a tranquilizer to subdue the massive animal. Then, they backed up their vehicles and hooked up the elk, lifting it out of the hole.
Wildlife Officer Brent Woodward said they've pulled animals out of barbed-wire and fencing before, but never anything like this. He went on to call the animal "pretty beat up." He estimated the animal could have been stuck underground for 2 or 3 days.
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Check out these photos from Colorado Parks and Wildlife: