Colorado Wildlife officers successfully removed a tire from around the neck of a 600-pound male elk last month. The 4-year-old bull had been wearing the 20-pound tire for the last two years, first being sighted in July 2019. Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers had made several attempts to track him down to remove the cumbersome tire, finally succeeding when the elk was reported in a neighborhood near Pine Junction last October. Officer Dawson Swanson responded and was able to intercept the animal and get close enough to implement a tranquilizer dart. After calling for assistance, Swanson was joined by Officer Scott Murdock, and together they attempted to cut through the tire but were unable to, and had to cut off the elk’s antlers—which will grow back in the spring. “It was not easy for sure, we had to move it just right to get it off because we weren’t able to cut …