A multi-hour closure of the Western Railway line and countless curious photo-hunters—moose “Emil” kept St. Pölten busy on Saturday evening and into the night on Sunday. During his wanderings through the capital of Lower Austria, police were repeatedly present. Meanwhile, the hype surrounding the moose continues to cause concern among animal welfare groups.
In the evening hours, “Emil” moved onto the tracks at St. Pölten’s main train station. The result was an interruption of the Western Railway line, which was lifted shortly before 1:00 a.m. on Sunday. Even before that, the antler-bearer had already become a true crowd magnet in the capital. Wherever sightings of “Emil” were reported, groups of people often gathered, pulling out their phones to take photos and videos.
“Emil” crept closer to St. Pölten
The moose, who has been considered a “naturalized Lower Austrian” for just over two and a half weeks, had been edging closer to St. Pölten in recent days and had already appeared in the Pottenbrunn district on Thursday and Friday. The antler-bearer is believed to have come from Poland and wandered into Lower Austria via the Czech Republic.
Given the attraction that “Emil” clearly exerts, more and more experts have recently issued warnings. The moose should be left alone and not harassed, was one conclusion; police had made similar statements back in August. Over the weekend, the St. Pölten Animal Welfare Association also spoke up. Feeding, approaching for photos and videos, and luring should be avoided, the group said in an online statement.
