As recently as June, an elk had to be put down after it entered Vasastan in central Stockholm. The year before, two elks on Södermalm met the same fate.
If we have large animals – such as elks – that lose their shyness for humans, it can become dangerous. We do not want that in the city, says Fredrik Widemo, docent at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, to TV4.
The fact that the animals end up in the city is due, among other things, to favorable urban environments, according to Widemo. More greenery in cities is often highlighted as beneficial for the environment, but green areas – especially contiguous ones – make the animals thrive. More food and fewer predators are not a shame either.
More wild animals in urban environments risk bringing problems. In addition to potentially hazardous situations, the animals can cause material destruction. Fredrik Widemo mentions tree-felling beavers in Nyköping as an example, and in Berlin, both raccoons and wild boars are already wreaking havoc.
They cause a lot of problems and break into houses more or less, he says to TV4.
