Moose "Emil" Sedated Near Westautobahn in Upper Austria

Monday morning it was time: Moose "Emil" had to be sedated because he was about to jump over the fence towards the West Autobahn (A1) near Sattledt (district of Wels-Land). Just before the morning traffic started at the Voralpenkreuz, "Emil" was only 200 meters away from the A1. This meant immediate danger, according to the assessment of the state of Upper Austria and the wildlife experts on site, reported the responsible state councilor Michaela Langer-Weninger (ÖVP) in a press release.

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 Langer-Weninger. 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 transport trailer lined with straw, where he soon regained consciousness and, slightly sedated as is usual with wild animals, was brought to the edge of the Bohemian Forest (district of Rohrbach). In the vicinity of the Czech Šumava National Park, where there is a moose population, the moose was finally released into the wild.

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?" it was said.

The agricultural state 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.

"The next Emil is sure to come"

The organization Tierschutz Austria criticized the information policy of the state councilor as "completely non-transparent towards us, and animal protection organizations were excluded from the special commission," said spokesman Martin Aschauer in a press release on Monday. A complaint is being considered, 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 demanded "uniform standards that effectively protect animals."

(APA/Red)

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