Not long after I moved to Sweden, someone told me their friend had a pet moose and I believed them. They also said that it liked to be taken out for walks on its lead through the middle of Stockholm. I beleived that too.
Because I’d never seen a moose before. It’s like Mr Moose explains: ”To foreigners, the moose is a bit like Jesus – they’ve heard a lot about them but don’t really know if they exist or not.”
Mr Moose and propspective Moose Academy student 2010
Mr Moose is the most wonderful Sune Häggmark who owns and runs Moose Garden in Orrviken, a village close to Östersund. Since leaving his job a a top level civil servant 12 years ago, he instead entertains 45,000 visitors a year who come to see his of herd of 15 and marvel at his empire made from moose crap.
Indeed, Sune has turned poo into a lucrative business, recycling the droppings to make paper. Just one crap equals 15 sheets. It’s pretty impressive. He is also a self-taught moose-milker and has been visited by world’s media to taste his homemade delicacies including moose milkshake, moose waffles and moose cheese.
If you can’t manage a visit in person, you can view all the action from the moosecam where Sune regularly appears demonstrating his international moose greeting. It’s worth it. Honest.
I made a new friend in six-year-old Hälge (pictured above) who would in fact make a considerably loving pet. Hälge took a particular shine to me; so much so that Sune invited me to return one day to study at his Moose Academy. He also sent me off with a token reminder of the adorable Hälge and some of his finest produce. Cheese. Not crap.
So… Toilet paper has finally come full circle? Brilliant. I just hope his paper is never made into scratch-n-sniff stickers I remember as a kid. That would be criminal. And a bit funny.
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