In Colorado, several ice climbers made an unlikely rescue. A bull elk had been caught in some rope. He was stuck on an ice shelf. 

Ice climbing is similar to rock climbing. But athletes climb slippery ice instead of rocks. Sometimes, climbers even scale frozen waterfalls and glaciers! They shove axes and spikes into the ice and hoist themselves up. The climbers use ropes and harnesses to make sure they don’t fall. 

The elk probably didn’t mean to try the sport for himself. But he got stuck in rope at a popular climbing spot in Lake City, Colorado. Elk sometimes get their antlers entangled with clothes lines, fencing, and hammocks. 

The animal was terrified and worn out. He had spent the night on the shelf trying to get down. To keep the elk still and calm, a biologist put him to sleep with a tranquilizer dart. Rescuers covered the creature’s head with a ski mask to protect his eyes. 

Cutting the rope away from the elk’s antlers was pretty easy. But getting the animal down was not. Most bull elks weigh around 700 pounds. 

That’s when the ice climbers came to the rescue. They helped state wildlife officers rig a rope system. Two ropes lowered the elk to the base of the route. It took more than two hours to get him down. About 12 minutes later, the elk awoke and ran down the snowy canyon.

God owns every beast of the forest. (Psalm 50:10) Sometimes, He lets humans help take care of them.