Deer tangled in ‘huge mass of string’ after hammock mishap in Utah, photos show
A buck was spotted wandering Utah with a huge mess of string tangled on its antlers, photos show.
The mule deer buck was tranquilized last week so biologists could remove a huge mass of string from its head, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources said. It was spotted in Parowan, a town in southwest Utah.
Last week, our biologists responded to reports in Parowan of a mature mule deer buck with a huge mass of string (probably a hammock) caught in his antlers and obscuring his vision. After tranquilizing the buck, we removed the string and released him. Looks like he's doing great! pic.twitter.com/DE837fHmiY
— UtahDWR (@UtahDWR) October 12, 2021
“Last week, our biologists responded to reports in Parowan of a mature mule deer buck with a huge mass of string … caught in his antlers and obscuring his vision,” wildlife officials said on Twitter.
Biologists thought the web of string was a hammock the buck got into.
“The buck was not able to see through what we suspect was a tangled hammock,” the division said on Facebook. “Our biologists tranquilized the buck, removed the string and placed a GPS collar on the buck.”
The buck was released and wasn’t injured, biologists said.
Deer and other animals often get tangled in objects that are left in yards and residential areas.
A 600-pound elk was stuck with a tire around its neck for two years before wildlife officials in Colorado could remove it on Saturday, McClatchy News reported.
A 600-pound elk lived stuck in a tire for nearly half its life, Colorado officials say
The 4 1/2-year-old bull elk was first spotted in July 2019 with a tire wrapped around its neck, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials said.
“Wildlife officers have seen deer, elk, moose, bears and other wildlife become entangled in a number of man-made obstacles that include swing sets, hammocks, clothing lines, decorative or holiday lighting, furniture, tomato cages, chicken feeders, laundry baskets, soccer goals or volleyball nets, and yes, tires,” officials said.
Ropes, twine, Christmas lights and netting can get tangled in antlers when the deer try to get food or water, McClatchy News reported.
In December, a buck got tangled in Christmas lights in Colorado. They were stuck around its antlers and neck, officials said.
Another buck also became tangled in electrical wires for weeks in California, according to McClatchy News. The buck’s antlers had to be removed.
