Hunters Kill 2 Moose ... Behind a Fence, in a Zoo

They didn't realize their mistake until it was too late
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 19, 2015 5:00 PM CDT
Hunters Kill 2 Moose ... Behind a Fence, in a Zoo
A moose stands amid vegetation, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015, in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska.   (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)

Hunters in Norway bagged two moose, somehow without realizing they were shooting at the animals through a fence. And not just any fence, but the fence of the Polar Park zoo, The Local reports. As the hunters explained to the zoo, their hounds somehow got inside the animals' enclosure and gave chase, and the hunters simply didn't realize the hounds were inside a zoo at the time. "I reacted with disbelief, and the first few seconds afterwards were pretty unreal," says the zoo's chief executive. "I think this is very sad, and it’s not OK. We had five elks, now we have only three." (As the San Francisco Chronicle explains, the animals are what North Americans call moose, but in Norway they're called elk.)

The zoo exhibits animals in "their natural surroundings," the Chronicle further explains. While the zoo isn't pressing charges, it does intend to seek compensation. Beyond that, a wildlife tribunal chairman says the hunters shouldn't be punished. "This is a regrettable mistake made in connection with lawful hunting on the outside of the park," he says. "It was a fatal error, but everyone understands that it was not done at all on purpose." Police, however, are still investigating the incident, which happened Oct. 7, and one official says the hunter who fired the shot could be prosecuted, in which case he'd face a fine or jail, CNN reports. (More strange stuff stories.)

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