Emil the Elk captured after long summer on the loose in Central Europe
Austrian wildlife officials tranquilised Emil near Sattledt, tagged him with a GPS device, and released him on the Czech border near Sumava, as authorities consider next steps to integrate him with a local herd.
A wandering elk nicknamed Emil has been captured by Austrian wildlife officials after a months-long roam across Central Europe. He was tranquilised on Monday after straying close to a motorway near the village of Sattledt in Upper Austria. Officials fitted him with a GPS tag and released him on the Czech-Austrian border at the edge of the Sumava forest in South Bohemia. It was not immediately clear whether Czech authorities were involved in the operation.
The Sumava forest is home to an estimated population of 10-20 elk, and wildlife officials said they hoped Emil would join them rather than continue his perambulations. The young male’s journey has captivated observers after he was first spotted near the village of Ludgerovice in the northeastern Czech Republic on 2 June, with authorities believing he entered the country from Poland.
Since then, Emil has become a social media sensation, generating hundreds of photos and videos posted online. Reports note that at least three Facebook groups devoted to him have formed, with a combined total approaching 50,000 members. Czech Radio’s online news portal iRozhlas cited the elk’s travels as spanning roughly 60 towns and villages across four countries — Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria — in a journey of nearly 500 kilometers. Along the way, Emil fended for himself by crossing roads and railways, fording streams and even swimming the Danube. He was spotted on the fringes of two cultural events, including a heavy metal festival in South Moravia.
Elk were once native to Czech forests but were hunted to extinction in the Middle Ages. There have been several reintroduction attempts over the centuries, but the species remained extinct in the wild in the Czech Republic until the 1970s. Today, the Czech elk population is believed to be around 50 animals, far fewer than Emil’s presumed homeland of Poland, which has tens of thousands.
Authorities emphasized that the priority is for Emil to settle somewhere suitable rather than continue a roaming pattern. The release near the Sumava border will be followed by monitoring to assess whether he integrates with local elk groups and avoids prompting further widespread movement across the region. As of now, it remains unclear whether the operation will be coordinated with Czech officials, and wildlife managers say the long-term outcome depends on Emil’s behavior and responses from the local population.