Moose “Emil” has been relocated to northern Upper Austria. On Monday morning, he was tranquilized near Sattledt (Wels-Land district) after coming dangerously close to the West Autobahn (A1), just before rush hour began at the Voralpenkreuz interchange. Under the guidance of a team of experts, “Emil” was sedated, loaded into a transporter, and released in the Bohemian Forest near the Czech border, where a moose population exists in Šumava National Park.
“An accident—and wildlife experts confirm this—could have meant a life-threatening situation for everyone involved,” said State Councilor Michaela Langer-Weninger (ÖVP) in a press release, explaining the rapid action taken that morning. The animal was tranquilized and continuously monitored by a wildlife medical team using drones and thermal imaging cameras. Firefighters from the Sattledt brigade carefully lifted “Emil” into a straw-lined transport trailer, where he soon regained consciousness. Slightly sedated, as is common with wild animals, he was transported standing to the edge of the Bohemian Forest (Rohrbach district).
Released With GPS Tracking
“Emil” has not been completely disconnected from human observation—he now wears an ear tag with a GPS transmitter. His movements can thus be scientifically documented without disturbing him. Experts had recently expressed concern about the hype surrounding him, warning of “storybook misbehavior” and asking, “Does it really have to come to the point where police must protect moose ‘Emil’ from people?”
Agriculture Councilor Langer-Weninger said she was “glad the rescue mission for ‘Emil’ went so professionally and successfully.” Now the northern visitor can live a wildlife-appropriate life in the Bohemian Forest—“and maybe he will soon bring offspring to the national park,” she added, painting what she called a happy ending.
On Emil’s Facebook fan page, which has more than 25,000 members, reactions were divided: from concern (“hopefully he survives this”) and anger (“I’m so mad”) to understanding (“really the most sensible solution”). Later, it was stressed that “Emil” had been in great danger and, despite great efforts, could not be dissuaded from trying to jump the fence onto the highway.
Animal Rights Group Calls For More Wildlife Corridors
The organization Tierschutz Austria criticized the state councilor’s communication as “completely non-transparent toward us, and animal welfare groups were excluded from the task force,” said spokesman Martin Aschauer in a press release Monday. No formal complaint has been filed yet, but it is being considered depending on the overall situation. In any case, he said, more wildlife corridors along highways and railways are urgently needed to prevent conflicts between humans and animals. “I hope we learn from the ‘Emil case’ for Austria’s wildlife. The next ‘Emil’ will surely come,” Aschauer said, also criticizing the nine different hunting laws in Austria’s nine federal states and calling for “uniform standards that effectively protect animals.”
