Pregnant Elk On Lookout Mountain: Rangers Can't Find Cow

GOLDEN, CO – A team of park rangers continued the search for a pregnant elk cow who captivated the world via a livestream of her extended labor.

Around 9 a.m., Thursday, rangers from Colorado Parks and Wildlife returned to Lookout Mountain to try to find the mama elk. Wednesday night the team was unable to locate her and left the mountain at dusk.

"No sign yet," the agency reported around 11:45 a.m. Rangers had not found the elk later in the afternoon, and as evening wore on no further updates were posted.

The clearly pregnant elk, with baby's hooves protruding from her, showed up in a news camera feed Tuesday and thousands of viewers watched her as she repeatedly stood and lay down again for more than 24 hours.

"This is a little bit longer than we would anticipate seeing, but as in any birthing process, they're all unique,"Colorado Parks & Wildlife's Lauren Truitt told 9NEWS Wednesday morning. "You can't predict exactly how they're going to go or how they're going to look."

At first the park rangers were going to let nature take its course.

"It's important for everyone to remember that elk are wild animals," the agency tweeted. "Coloradans have a responsibility to keep them wild. We are lucky to get this rare glimpse into the natural world, but it is critical to let nature take its course and not intervene in the process."

But then CPW decided to bring a team up the mountain to hopefully find the cow and tranquilize her so she could get veterinary help.

Rangers asked people to keep away from the trails.

"Please give us space as we work to get close to the scene, CPW tweeted Wednesday night.

The cow then moved out of the fixed camera's view and news stations ended the live feeds.

This story will be updated. Check back with Patch for more news.

Image via Colorado Parks and Wildlife