At a local road approximately 15 minutes northeast of the town of Flisa, several motorists and locals witnessed a somewhat unusual sight:
A half-eaten elk carcass.
It was Østlendingen who mentioned the find first.
– Within the wolf zone
According to the Norwegian Environment Agency, the majority of the Norwegian wolf population resides in areas along the national border, in Innlandet and Viken counties respectively in southern Norway.
This week’s grotesque discovery is no exception, and adviser in the State Nature Inspectorate (SNO), Simen Bredvold, confirms that it is a wolf attack.
– The area targeted is within the wolf zone, and there are also wolf dens nearby, he tells Dagbladet.
In other words, it is natural that the predator is looking for food within such surfaces.
– Wolves are often observed there, but moose and deer also roam the same area, he explains.
– Not nice
Locals along the road became aware of the bloody animal early on. The ditch where the moose was found should be a school route for children.
– It wasn’t exactly nice to discover what had happened near the mailboxes during the night, locals say to Østrlendingen.
If a wolf is to be euthanized, it is the State Administrator in the responsible county who may approve such an application. As a rule, consideration for sheep and/or other livestock is emphasized.
Bredvold says that it is not high season for wolf activity, however:
– It is still a time when calves and young animals are on their way to their territories.
– The wolf takes around 100 moose in Åsnes every year. That means just over three days per moose – so the average, he adds.
The wolf was reportedly observed investigating the area the following day, but returned as the dead animal had already been removed.
