– Animal ethically, we could not let it go. We would not have been able to concentrate on anything else. Ken-Richard Hansen thinks back to the moose they met a week and a half ago. The moose had got an old telecommunication cable around its antlers and neck. According to Hansen, a hundred meters of cable also hung from the electric shock. – Considering the damage the moose could have sustained over time, it would probably have suffered for several weeks, says Hansen. He is certain that the cable is part of the old copper network that the Swedish National Telecommunications Authority set up in his time. – This is Telenor’s responsibility. Now they have to clean up, says Hansen. It was Brønnøysund newspaper that mentioned the case first. The cable had also attached itself in several places to the moose’s body. Photo: Ken-Richard Hansen Must clean up – This is a very sad case that made a strong impression on us at Telenor when we heard about it, says Anders Krokan. He is press manager at Telenor. He agrees that the cable is in all likelihood a remnant of the old infrastructure over the copper network. – Before the weekend, we started investigations to find out exactly where in Visten this is so that we can quickly remove the cable. We have also been in contact with the administration in the municipality about the matter. The press manager is clear that Telenor will clean up old telecommunications equipment. After the elk was killed, the hunting team coiled the cable together. Photo: Ken-Richard Hansen – Where there is a danger to life and health – including wildlife – we want to do it as quickly as possible, he says. At the same time, an extensive replacement of the old copper network is underway. But there is still a lot left. – The over 100-year-old copper network still covers 140,000 km of copper cable and 500,000 poles. We remove cables, and at the same time the lion’s share of poles are removed, while some are reused to continue the development of mobile and fibre. Is a resource – There is both poor animal protection and treatment of nature, and poor resource utilization of a resource that we will need more of in the future. That’s what Pernille Bonnevie Hansen says when she hears about what the moose had gotten itself into. She is deputy chairperson of the Nature Conservation Association. Pernille Hansen believes that old cables can be recycled with advantage. Photo: Fartein Rudjord She thinks it is doubly thoughtless that there are miles of copper cables in Norwegian nature, when there are several disputed mining plans in the country. – When people talk about collecting mobile phones in homes to collect copper, it is a bit absurd that there are copper coils in the forest that are a danger to the animals. She believes that such copper cables can harm more people than the moose hunters rely on. – If a moose has managed it, smaller animals can also manage it. One can imagine that, for example, sheep can become entangled in links, she says, and adds: – We can’t have it like that. We have to clean up after ourselves. Thinks the environmental benefit is great Telenor agrees with that. At the same time, they are aware that the clean-up after the old copper network can take time. – We are awaiting permission from the Norwegian authorities so that we can initiate this work on a large scale. Until then, we are required to maintain old infrastructure until the autumn of 2025. Removing everything will be a significant environmental saving, says Krokan. Anders Krokan says the case has made a strong impression on Telenor. Photo: Josef Benoni Ness Tveit He encourages people to get in touch if they come across equipment that could endanger life and health. – This is happening all over the country, so it’s good that it’s coming up and that Telenor is laying low, says Ken-Richard Hansen.
ttn-69
Moose had Telenor cable around its neck, in its antlers and 100 meters in tow – news Nordland
