A wild moose has been observed in Denmark for the first time in almost 20 years

A wild moose (known as elk in Scandinavia) has swimmed from Sweden to northern Zealand, Denmark.

The last sighting of a wild moose/elk in Denmark was as long ago as 1999, although there were several unconfirmed sightings in the years between, particularly in 2001, 2010 and 2012. Now a young female elk has been seen and photographed in northern Zealand in June 2018.

In 1999, a male elk swam to land in northern Zealand and was seen in several locations throughout Zealand. Unfortunately the elk was hit and killed by a train a year later.

The original wild elk population in Denmark disappeared 5,000 years ago. In Lille Vildmose, a great marsh area in northern Jutland, a small elk colony were reintroduced in 2015 from Sweden. However, the colony here lives within a perimeter – a large fenced area where the elk graze the land in order to maintain the existing habitat.

It is unclear how long the wild elk will stay in the North Zealand forests. Maybe it will swim back to Sweden again some day. Unlike most other deer species, elk are solitary animals and do not form herds.