Elchwild Upper Austria

The moose (Alces alces) is the largest extant member of the deer family. Bulls reach shoulder heights of over two metres and can weigh several hundred kilograms. Distinctive features include the high shoulder hump, the muzzle, the dewlap (Glocke) and, in bulls, the broad palmate antlers, which are shed each year. Moose are pronounced solitary animals and prefer uneven, difficult forest terrain with a high proportion of wetland. They are the only deer that can also feed underwater and use bogs, swamp forests and marshes as habitat.

In Central Europe the moose was largely wiped out by hunting and habitat loss by the late Middle Ages. Stable remnant populations remained only further to the east and north. For some years, however, individual animals from Polish and Czech populations have repeatedly migrated into Germany and Austria. Sightings cluster mainly in thinly populated, forest-rich regions with wet meadows, moors and swamp forests. A permanent reestablishment is nonetheless considered demanding given fragmented landscapes.

The moose is protected under the Bern Convention and is protected year-round under hunting law in Germany and Austria. It may therefore not be hunted, even as the species returns. Current management is limited to monitoring, reducing road-traffic conflicts and securing suitable migration corridors.