News
Moose returns to Denmark
TheCopenhagenPost
November 19th, 2015
Share
This article is more than 9 years old.
By elk! After a 5,000-year break, one of the largest land mammals is back
Welcome back, Bullwinkle! (photo: Gustav)
This morning, five moose calves arrived in Lille Vildmose in Himmerland in northeastern Jutland.
The job of the new arrivals from Sweden will be to roam the area’s countryside, munching on trees and shrubs, helping to create a more varied landscape.
The moose, the largest member of the deer family, is a master at keeping trees and shrubs in check.
Kind of like a cow
“Mooses have four stomachs like cows, sheep and goats,” Frank Vigh-Hansen from Skandinavisk Dyrepark told DR Viden.
“But, unlike farm animals, they digest grass poorly, so they eat a balanced diet of leaves, herbs and fresh shoots.”
Vigh-Hansen said that the moose’s appetite and height will help it reach high enough into the surrounding trees to really make an impact on the landscape.
Mooses live in small family groups and forage along the edge of the forest.
Big eaters
An adult moose weighing 200 kilos needs to eat three to four kilos of dry plant matter every day, Vigh-Hansen said.
This corresponds to eight to ten kilograms of fresh herbs, while a mother carrying calves needs twice that amount.
READ MORE: Moose soon on the loose
The moose at Lille Vildmose – two bulls and three heifer calves – are six months old and will be confined to a relatively small paddock until May, when they will be released into a larger area.
Share
