Elk NetworkBull Elk Pulled Out of Colorado Swimming Pool

General | October 11, 2021

It just wasn’t designed to do that! A swimming pool cover keeps leaves, dirt, dust, toys and lots of other stuff out of the water it protects beneath. On this day however, it was certainly no match for deterring an 800-pound bull elk. The animal fell through a pool cover in Estes Park, Colorado, and could not climb out on its own.

Chase Rylands, a wildlife officer with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), answered a call to come to help Estes Park Police Officer Skylar Watson with the rescue. The two grabbed a nylon rope and looped it around the back of the elk’s antlers. Then they ran the rope through a sturdy, medal handrail on nearby steps and pulled with all their might.

In a video posted on the CPW Twitter page, you can hear the two men gasping for air as they try to free the bull. Eventually, the elk makes its way to underwater stairs, climbs out and runs off the property.

Estes Park is about 65 miles northwest of Denver.

Go here to view video of the rescue.

(Photo source: Colorado Parks and Wildlife)