On Thursday afternoon, moose hunter Kurt Tverli drove by Misvær in Bodø. He stopped the car in disbelief when he noticed the injured moose calf. – The moose had been shot straight through the nose, so every time it breathed, blood spurted out. It didn’t look good. There was already a lot of blood on the ground and a dog had full control of the calf. However, the hunter was nowhere to be seen. That causes Kurt Tverli to react strongly. It was Avisa Nordland that first mentioned the case. The moose was clearly injured when Tverli arrived at the scene. Photo: Kurt Tverli – Sorry Tverli estimates that he stood for five minutes waiting for the hunting team. – You don’t shoot at the head of an animal. It is directly punishable, he says to news and adds: – I had no gun in the car, if I had, I would have shot the moose. This is just tragic. One should not torture animals. The moose defended itself by kicking away. A queue of cars formed both in front and behind the session. Photo: Kurt Tverli The responsible hunt leader has subsequently been identified. He apologizes on behalf of the hunting team. – We are very sorry that the moose calf was injured, but this was not intentional. The moose calf was euthanized as soon as possible, he says to news. All the hunters on the team were out in the forest. – But as soon as we became aware that the moose was standing on the road, two hunters were sent towards the scene. One on foot and one by car. The moose was euthanized 19 minutes after being shot and 8 minutes after it came down on the road. To be shot in the lungs Kurt Tverli strongly doubts that it was a missed shot. – What are they aiming for when they hit him in the head from the side? The moose has stood in such a way that they have shot him from the left side in. Don’t come here and say that they aimed at something other than the head, I don’t believe that at all, and adds: – It’s strange if this was a misfire. Gjermund Carlsen, head of the wildlife committee in Bodø municipality, tells Avisa Nordland that you should shoot a moose in the heart and lung region – not in the head. If an animal is shot, it is the hunting team’s task to find the animal and euthanize it within 24 hours. If not, the municipality must be contacted. Can be up to 10 per cent Jon Martin Arnemo is a professor and veterinarian. He says it is estimated that at least 4 percent of moose are shot. – This is based on our model and is a minimum number, he says to news. Based on Statistics Norway’s statistics, this means that just under 1,200 moose were fatally shot last year. He explains that previous investigations have been confirmed with major shortcomings. Jon Martin Arnemo is himself an active hunter. He says that at least 4 percent of moose that are shot are injured. Photo: Private Arnemo emphasizes that this is the short version. The figure for the number of injured moose can be considerably much higher. – There are indications that a number of moose in common have fresh gunshot wounds from this year’s hunt and some have old gunshot wounds from earlier. In addition, one finds carcasses that have been shot. – If you add this together, as well as taking into account a certain amount of under-reporting, you get the 10 per cent figure that I previously used, he says. Jon Martin Arnemo says four percent of moose that are shot are injured. However, the number may be more than twice as large. Photo: Everviz The vet also points out that there is a misunderstanding within game management; namely that injured animals can be reported healthy. – A shot animal can almost never be “declared healthy”. This term is used to denote a situation where a shot animal is not found, even after searching the day of the hunt and the following day. ALSO READ:
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Moose found injured – expert believes up to 10 percent will be injured – news Nordland
