Helpless deer tangled in metal wire for a month until cautious rescue in Colorado

A mule deer entangled in a wire tomato cage for weeks was freed by wildlife officers, Colorado officials reported.

People near Hotchkiss had reported seeing the entangled doe for about a month, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in a Jan. 31 news release on X, formerly known as Twitter.

District Wildlife Manager Adam Wallerstein and Hotchkiss police caught up to the deer Thursday, Jan. 30, officials said.

Wallerstein shot the deer with a tranquilizer dart so the cage could be safely removed, officials said. He and officers used bolt cutters to free the deer from the cage wrapped around its body.

The deer, tagged to indicate it had been tranquilized, was awakened and bounded away into the forest, officials said.

Officials suggested that residents check around their homes for possible tangle hazards for wildlife.

“Be sure to put away garden and sports equipment that is not in use, think about wildlife safe fencing and take down those hammocks,” officials advised.

Hotchkiss is about a 235-mile drive southwest from Denver.