Lucky elk escapes sad fate after rescue by quick-acting man: ‘Those fences should be banned’

The actions of one man might have saved the life of a young elk, which was found with its legs trapped in a barbed-wire fence.

The deer was discovered upside down by TikToker Royal_Tine (@royal_tine), and the footage showed it was quite clearly under a significant amount of stress.

But the TikToker had some wire cutters on hand and was able to release the elk from the tangle. After an awkward couple of steps upon releasing freedom, it soon found its footing and was on its way.

“Thank you sir,” one commenter said. “Really appreciate people like this.”

Another user added, “Those fences should be banned.”

According to the Sunshine Coast Council in Australia, barbed wire fences are essentially invisible to animals at night. If trying to run away from predators or humans, animals can get tangled up in the wire easily.

When trying to fight their way out of the situation, animals can then cause a lot of harm to themselves, putting their lives in danger — especially if it leads to a long-term injury once released.

In addition to elk, other beasts can get caught in barbed wire fencing, so removing it when possible will be a huge benefit to wildlife. As Oregon non-profit organization Think Wild noted, birds can collide with fences and impale their wings on the barbs.

In fact, even fake cobwebs used for Halloween decorations have been known to trap birds who don’t see the material.

If you need to build a fence, there are a few things to consider to benefit local wildlife. Making the barrier highly visible will help to prevent animals from getting stuck or colliding with the structure while allowing enough space for creatures to either crawl underneath or jump over will also be helpful.

Meanwhile, consider if the fence is put in the path of migration routes, as it’s more likely for animals to get caught up if it blocks their way.

While staying a safe distance from young elk is usually the correct course of action so as to not invoke the wrath of the deer or its mother, thankfully, someone was around to get close and be a hero in this case.

Join our free newsletter for cool news and cool tips that make it easy to help yourself while helping the planet.