Emil the Lynx arrived in the Šumava. This was preceded by a great public interest and intervention of Austrian rescuers.
The story of Emil the moose, which has been filling the content of internet servers in recent months, may finally have a happy ending. The animal, which observers named after the runner Zátopek, was successfully sedated, transported, and released into the wild near the Šumava National Park. It is precisely there that the moose population already lives.
The elk bull was hit on Monday by a shot from a tranquilizer gun when he came within 200 meters of the Austrian highway ramp. He probably wanted to jump over the fence near the A1 highway, thereby endangering the safety of local road traffic.
"The firefighters from the Sattledt fire brigade carefully lifted Emil into a straw-lined transport trailer, where he soon woke up and, after mild sedation, was transported in an upright position, as is typical for wild animals, to the edge of the Bohemian Forest,"
has quoted the regional councilor responsible for agriculture, Michaela Langerova-Weningerova Czech News Agency.
From Moravia to Slovakia and back
But let's take it in order. The journey of this individual, who probably lived previously in Poland, began in northern Moravia. He was seen last June in the Opava region, when he got into the garden of one of the houses in the village of Lugeřovice, where he grazed and rested. The experts decided that he would be put to sleep and transported to the Šumava mountains. However, before the vet and representative of zoo arrived, the animal managed to escape into the forest and the operation was therefore canceled.
Emil then spent his holidays from Moravia to Slovakia. The city of Skalica posted a recording on social media with the animal and a remark that Emil visited the city as part of his European tour. However, the camera also recorded people chasing the animal. During his journey, he gradually became literally a celebrity. Thanks to the fact that he already had an ear tag with a GPS transmitter at the time, it will enable scientific tracking of his movement in the future.
Social media star
The journey of a young animal of a species that usually lives solitary and can grow over two meters tall and weigh over half a ton, attracted great public interest. On the social network Facebook, a group with more than 10 thousand fans was even created to document its journey through Lower Austria, where it later moved. It was moving in a densely populated landscape, which increased the chance of people spotting it. Therefore, people also shared photos and videos of the moose swimming across the river, crossing the road, or wandering directly to the suburbs of the city. At the same time, we could learn where it was feasting on apples or that its presence caused traffic to stop on the railway in Hodonín and then in Sankt Pölten.
The danger of his trip is evidenced, for example, by the fact that he had to avoid at least four highways in succession. Additionally, he was also near a metal festival in Vizovice, the Horácké folk festival, and an Austrian street event.
Dangerous Route
From the beginning, however, it was clear that due to the nature of the local cultural landscape, he could not possibly establish a permanent residence in Austria. Additionally, the climate in the Central European lowlands is not ideal for Emil, as it is too warm. In the meantime, the Czech side has declared it will take care of Emil. We also have our own experiences with elks. It is estimated that between 15 and 20 of them now live in the Šumava region.
"Of course, we would welcome Emil with open arms and welcome banners,"
said at the beginning of September to the portal Info.cz with exaggeration the spokesman of the Šumava National Park Zdeněk Dvořák and added that the small colony of Šumava moose needs occasional revival of breeding precisely by migrants from elsewhere. They reportedly thrive especially on the right bank of Lipno, because the whole area is not too visited due to the lack of tourist infrastructure.
Thanks to the move to Šumava, which took place on September 22, Emil has a greater chance of survival.
"Now he can settle in a large, continuous forest area with sufficient water sources, refuge and population of moose,"
added Michaela Langer-Weninger to that.
And whoever thinks that this is where the whole story ends is wrong. Because on Sunday, September 21, another moose appeared near Dohalice in Královéhradecky. And it wouldn't be the Czechs if he didn't get a name right away. The roughly year-old youngster, named Lukáš, was reportedly heading south ... .
Sources: author's text, ČTK, Info.cz, Diary
