The Swedes recognize German mobile homes from afar – by the moose sticker. They find this quirk strange. They would never think of sticking a moose silhouette on the rear. Because most Swedes don’t like moose, and with good reason.
The animals, which can weigh up to 600 kilos, are considered stubborn and defensive, no matter how cuddly they may look with their overhanging upper lip and lanky legs. They just stop on the road. Moose are not afraid of what they see as tiny cars, which tower over them at a shoulder height of up to 2.30 meters.
Therefore, drivers in Sweden are advised to avoid a moose instead of driving straight into it. A frontal collision is too risky. In 2022 there were more than 5800 accidents involving mooses on Swedish roads.
All of Sweden is moose country. The largest deer species in the world lives there except for the island of Gotland, almost everywhere. The population is estimated at around 400,000 animals. There are a particularly large number of them in central Sweden, especially in Västergötland.
Moose are also not without danger for hikers. If they feel threatened, they run and everything that is in their way. During moose safaris, which are particularly popular with German holidaymakers, the guides keep a safe distance of at least 80 meters. When the animals break out of the undergrowth and flap their ears too (a sign of extreme bad temper, like that of an African buffalo), then it’s time to take cover behind the nearest tree.
Cow mooses are even more aggressive than bull mooses with their shoveled antlers when they have calves. They kick purposefully with their front hooves, which have sharp claws.
So there are plenty of reasons why Swedes prefer to see an “Älk” (pronounced Älj) behind the safe deer fence, in moose parks or right away as a roast on the plate. So you wonder why Germans are obsessed with moose.
There is no explanation for this. The tourism portal Visit Sweden asked around in Europe what holidaymakers spontaneously associate with the Scandinavian country. The British think of high beer prices, the French of blondes, and the Germans – exactly – rave about the moose with the funny muzzle.
Swedish visitors traveling in Brandenburg are even more astonished. There is hype about a single bull moose named Bert. He swam across the Oder from Poland as a young animal in 2018 and lives south of Berlin in the Nuthe glacial valley. He is probably the best researched moose in the world: equipped with a neck transmitter, he is monitored at every turn, even his dung is crumbled (he likes corn on the cob).
Wildlife biologists are now hoping that more animals will immigrate, as this region has been sounded out as the perfect moose suitability area in Germany. In fact, every now and then individual elks migrate through Brandenburg, but then swim back to their 30,000 conspecifics in Polish nature reserves.
But Bert is stupid and stays. Sometimes he joins cows alone, sometimes he waits on the country road. The mayor of the municipality of Nuthe-Urstromtal, Stefan Scheddin, has therefore had the first elk signs set up nationwide. For moose tourists, he had shirts printed with the slogan “Where the wolf dances with the moose”, because wolves also roam around. Only one moose sticker is missing.
