ESTES PARK, Colo. – An elk calf with a broken leg that was rescued from the side of the road in Estes Park will face a tough recovery due to its age, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials.
The calf, which officials think is two-weeks-old, was spotted by several drivers in the Town of Estes Park on Monday.
Because it’s illegal to possess wildlife in Colorado, a Parks and Wildlife official was called in to check on the condition of the calf, but because the wildlife officer was far away from the call area, an Estes Park Police Department was instead tasked with checking out the wild animal.
The police officer took the calf to a veterinarian, but because there are only a certain number of resources available to care for wildlife, the calf was picked by CPAW and transferred to the department’s wildlife center veterinarian in Fort Collins.
“Since it’s two-weeks-old, it will have difficulty without mother’s milk, but we are going to do our best to get it through the coming months,” said CPAW spokesperson Jennifer Churchill. “It will not likely go back in the wild and will remain at our facility in Fort Collins.”
