Moose "Emil" Sedated Near Westautobahn in Upper Austria

Moose "Emil" has been brought to the north of Upper Austria. Early Monday morning, he was sedated near Sattledt (district of Wels-Land) as he came dangerously close to the West Autobahn (A1), just before the morning traffic at the Voralpenkreuz began. Under the guidance of an expert team, "Emil" was sedated, loaded into a transporter, and released in the Bohemian Forest near the Czech border, where there is a moose population in the Šumava National Park.

Sedation of Moose "Emil" in Upper Austria

"An accident - and this is confirmed by wildlife experts - would have meant a life-threatening situation for all involved," explained the responsible regional councilor Michaela Langer-Weninger (ÖVP) in a press release about the quick action in the morning. The animal was sedated under the expert guidance of a wildlife medical team and continuously monitored - with drones and thermal imaging cameras. Firefighters from FF Sattledt carefully lifted "Emil" into the straw-lined transport trailer, where he soon regained consciousness and, slightly sedated as is usual with wild animals, was brought standing to the edge of the Bohemian Forest (district of Rohrbach).

Moose "Emil" Received GPS Transmitter

The connection to "Emil" is not completely severed, as the moose now carries an ear tag with a GPS transmitter. This allows his paths to be scientifically documented in the future without getting too close to the wild animal. Experts were recently concerned about "Emil" and had expressed significant concerns such as: "The hype unfortunately leads to a textbook case of misbehavior. Does it really have to be that the police have to protect moose 'Emil' from people?" as it was stated.

The agricultural councilor was "glad that the rescue operation for 'Emil' went so professionally and successfully." Now the northern light can lead a wildlife-appropriate life in the Bohemian Forest - "and maybe he will soon provide offspring in the national park," she paints a real, cheesy happy ending.

On "Emil's" Facebook fan page with more than 25,000 members, opinions were divided: from concern "hopefully he survives this" and outrage "I am so angry" to understanding "really the most sensible thing" were the first reactions. Later, it was emphasized that "Emil" was in great danger and despite great efforts, could not be dissuaded from his plan to get over the fence onto the highway.

"The Next 'Emil' Is Sure to Come"

The organization Tierschutz Austria criticized the information policy of the regional councilor as "completely non-transparent towards us, and animal protection organizations were also excluded from the deployed SOKO," said spokesman Martin Aschauer in a press release on Monday. There was no complaint initially, but they reserved the right to do so, depending on the overall situation. In any case, there is an urgent need for more wildlife corridors along highways and railway lines to prevent conflicts between humans and animals. "I hope that we learn from the 'Emil case' for the wildlife in Austria. The next 'Emil' is sure to come," said Aschauer, who also criticized the nine different hunting laws in nine federal states and called for "uniform standards that effectively protect animals."

(APA/Red)

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