The young moose Emil has been on the move since the beginning of June and has caused quite a stir in the media. There are only a few moose in Poland and the Czech Republic, and they are not native to Austria. He was finally spotted in Austria for the first time in August and roamed the country for a good month before he was finally tranquilized on 22 September. It has now been brought to the border with the Czech Republic.
The journey of Emil the moose through Austria
Emil was first spotted in Opava in the Czech Republic on June 2nd. He had presumably set off from Poland and made his way from there towards the Czech Republic. Young moose sometimes migrate to find a suitable habitat for mating. From the Czech Republic, Emil the moose reached Slovakia and then finally Austria, where he was seen for the first time on August 18. He was repeatedly photographed and filmed on his wanderings and there is even a “Where’s Emil?” tracker that records sightings and tracks his route.
During Emil’s journey through Austria, he caused a stir at one point and then another. On September 6, he was in the track area near St. Pölten main station, which led to train services being suspended for several hours. It also swam across the Danube and the Enns several times and stayed in villages. When moose are separated from their mother at a young age, they lose their shyness, which is probably why Emil did not seem to be afraid of humans.
The end of Emil’s journey
The proposal to anaesthetize the animal and release it in the Bohemian Forest was already being discussed in the Czech Republic. In Austria, a special SOKO moose unit was set up to take care of Emil. Animal rights activists criticized the idea of stunning Emil the moose or even releasing him for shooting.
The last sighting of Emil was on Monday, September 22nd near the highway near Sattlstedt. At 05:30 he was stunned by a shot. His ear is now fitted with a GPS tracker that will track him for 30 days and he was successfully released near the Czech border in the Bohemian Forest. There is a small population of elk living here, where Emil will hopefully be happy.