Wachau Fan? Moose "Emil" Moved to Melk

The journey of moose "Emil" through Lower Austria led to Melk on Tuesday. Corresponding photos and videos have been published on the Facebook page "Wir aus Melk". The guest from the north has been traveling in the state for three weeks now. Over the weekend, he caused a stir in St. Pölten and even led to a closure of the Westbahn line.

Moose "Emil" from St. Pölten to Melk

Besides the state capital, "Emil" has now wandered through five districts. Just on Monday, the "adopted Lower Austrian" also surpassed the mark of 10,000 fans on Facebook ("Emil the Moose"). On Saturday, police patrols were dispatched in St. Pölten for safety reasons. The animal appeared in several places in the Lower Austrian state capital and caused crowds to gather. In the evening hours, the moose settled on the tracks of the St. Pölten main station. The result was an interruption of the Westbahn line until shortly before 1:00 a.m. on Sunday.

Who is responsible for moose "Emil"?

The ORF Lower Austria reported confusion about the responsibility for the moose. "There is no legal basis for official intervention to capture the moose," said Philipp Enzinger, spokesperson for the district governors in Lower Austria. According to the state hunting association, however, an official order is needed to, for example, sedate the animal. Police and fire departments emphasized to the ORF state studio that intervention is only possible if there is a danger to people or the animal itself.

"Everywhere where it is a matter of restoring public order and safety, the security authorities are responsible according to the Security Police Act," said Doris Stilgenbauer, head of the state department of agricultural law, whose areas of responsibility also include hunting matters and legal issues of veterinary affairs. This would include, for example, the state police directorate or the district authorities.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.