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Seems like it happens every year, somewhere in Colorado: a deer gets its antlers wrapped up in Christmas lights and unwittingly appears to be part of Santa's sleigh team.
There'll be plenty of holiday decorating going on over the long weekend ahead. And Colorado Parks and Wildlife is asking us to be mindful of our outdoor decor.
Strings of lights, garland, ornaments and tinsel can endanger Colorado's wildlife, especially deer and elk.
Some decorating tips to follow:
** Wait to put up outdoor lights until after the peak of the deer rut, sometime after the first week of December.
** String lights around the trunks of your larger trees. Trees with trunk diameters of 2 to 6 inches are most likely to be rubbed by bucks, which entangle lights in their antlers.
** Use multiple short strands of lights plugged together versus one long strand (they should break away if an animal becomes entangled).
** Avoid stringing lights "clothesline" style across areas; firmly attach lights to tree limbs, gutters, or fence posts.
** Place flagging along the wired decorations so that deer can see where the wire is and avoid entanglement.
Wildlife can also benefit when we:
** Remove volleyball and badminton nets from their posts during winter. (Don't simply wrap nets around the post, as animals may still be enticed to rub their antlers on it and become entangled.)
** Disconnect and store hoses, and store tomato cages and other garden materials (netting, stakes, ties, etc.) until spring.
** Take down and store hammocks and swings when not in use.
** Flag or remove empty clotheslines until they are needed.
** Follow these fencing guidelines (beware of graphic images)
What if you see wildlife entangled in lights?
"One of the greatest hazards to an entangled animal can be a well-meaning citizen who comes too close," said Casey Westbrook, district t wildlife manager for northeast Elbert County "People should not approach or try to help an entangled animal. Greater injury to the animal or injury to the person may result. Precaution is the preferred tool to problem-solving."
Animals can die as a result of the stress they experience by being chased and held down while "being helped," officers say.
Wildlife officers usually leave the animals alone unless objects impede an animal's movement, block an animal's vision, or wrap an animal’s jaw, neck or chest where constriction will affect survival. The problem often solves itself for deer and elk when their antlers are shed.
Contact a local Colorado Parks and Wildlife office if you believe an animal is at risk because of entanglement.
PHOTO: A deer seen numerous times in Colorado Springs two years ago, his antlers entangled in Christmas lights.
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