Young elk tangled in tomato cage walks away with cool earring

A young elk got tangled in one of those wire tomato cones, but after a Parks Canada intervention, he's back with his mom and the herd, sporting the animal equivalent of an earring.

"He's a young male, now he has an ear tag, sort of the human equivalent of an earring so now he's going to be one of the cool elks in the herd," Dan Rafla said.

He's a human-wildlife co-existence specialist with Parks Canada.

• Belligerent elk assault unsuspecting people in Banff
• 7 elk killed on weekend along Canmore highway, renewing calls for wildlife fencing

Rafla's team got a call on Jan. 8 about an elk in distress in Banff National Park. It's likely curiosity got the best of the young elk and he managed to get his head trapped between the wires of a tomato cage.

"Usually we tend to see this with animals with antlers. With lights or hanging wires, they get wrapped and the animal can't move," he said.

Rafla said they sedated him, vitals were recorded, the wire removed, his ear was tagged and a drug wasused that reverses the sedation.

10 minutes later,back with mom

All the while, mom watched calmly from a distance. Rafla saidmothers can be more aggressive with perceived threats in the spring, when their babies are younger.

Ten minutes later, the elk was with his mom and the herd.

Rafla said the incident highlights a couple of takeaways.

First, he's thankful a resident called it in, because had the animal moved off into the trees, he may not have been as lucky.

It's also a good reminder for residents to keep wire, gardens tools and implements stored away in a garage or shed to avoid a curious animal from getting tangled.