Here in Norway, we call the moose for “elg.” Same in Sweden. Well, almost the same. They call it “älg”. It's very similar to the English word
elk, but it means moose, though elk is of course also in the deer family.
While the Northern European moose is smaller than the North American, we still treat it with a lot of respect if we ever come across them in nature. Especially if the moose has calves, you should steer well clear of it, because the mother will attack, and kill or maim you badly.
Sadly, being such a heavy animal – it can easily weigh a literal tonne – it’s also the source of some very serious car accidents, especially on lonely stretches of roads passing through forests, for which there is a lot of on the Scandinavian peninsula.
Being so tall, the car will hit its feet first, and then the rest of the animal will land on the bonnet and window, often crushing the driver and passengers.
Worst of all, they like to trek at dusk, or when the light is dim, so if you’re ever on a lonely, forested stretch of road during that time, you need to keep your eyes peeled. On top of that, that’s the time of day when the pelt disguises them the best against the surrounding nature, so you really must keep on your toes when driving during those hours.
While the Northern European moose is smaller than the North American, we still treat it with a lot of respect if we ever come across them in nature. Especially if the moose has calves, you should steer well clear of it, because the mother will attack, and kill or maim you badly.
Sadly, being such a heavy animal – it can easily weigh a literal tonne – it’s also the source of some very serious car accidents, especially on lonely stretches of roads passing through forests, for which there is a lot of on the Scandinavian peninsula.
Being so tall, the car will hit its feet first, and then the rest of the animal will land on the bonnet and window, often crushing the driver and passengers.
Worst of all, they like to trek at dusk, or when the light is dim, so if you’re ever on a lonely, forested stretch of road during that time, you need to keep your eyes peeled. On top of that, that’s the time of day when the pelt disguises them the best against the surrounding nature, so you really must keep on your toes when driving during those hours.