Elk rescued from swimming pool
An elk cow that had become stuck in a pool in southern Sweden has been rescued. The animal was shot with a tranquilizer gun before being lifted out of the drained swimming pool. It was later reunited with its calf.
The animal wandered into the private pool in Oskarström, south-west Sweden, on Thursday. The pool was drained by emergency services, who then arranged for steps to be built to allow the elk to walk out of its own accord.
The elk was in no hurry to move, however, and on Friday morning was still standing on the pool bottom. Rescuers then decided to lift the animal out of the pool using a forklift truck and a sling.
Once out of the pool the house owner and police officers removed the harness.
"We initially held up a screen in front of the animal so that it wouldn't jump back into the pool, but then she lay down on the grass right next to the pool," said a reporter from news agency TT, who was at the scene.
After resting for an hour, the animal wandered into the neighbouring woodland and started to eat. Another elk then came and joined it. The second animal turned out to be the rescued beast's calf.
"The elk in the pool had been heard making some kind of beckoning call, but the calf seems to have not dared approach due to all the commotion there has been," TT's reporter said.
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The animal wandered into the private pool in Oskarström, south-west Sweden, on Thursday. The pool was drained by emergency services, who then arranged for steps to be built to allow the elk to walk out of its own accord.
The elk was in no hurry to move, however, and on Friday morning was still standing on the pool bottom. Rescuers then decided to lift the animal out of the pool using a forklift truck and a sling.
Once out of the pool the house owner and police officers removed the harness.
"We initially held up a screen in front of the animal so that it wouldn't jump back into the pool, but then she lay down on the grass right next to the pool," said a reporter from news agency TT, who was at the scene.
After resting for an hour, the animal wandered into the neighbouring woodland and started to eat. Another elk then came and joined it. The second animal turned out to be the rescued beast's calf.
"The elk in the pool had been heard making some kind of beckoning call, but the calf seems to have not dared approach due to all the commotion there has been," TT's reporter said.
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