Broken Hömelö: Finnish Police Shoot Sociable Moose Calf Dead

The one-year-old moose calf, which the locals affectionately called Hömelö ("Little Fool"), had a habit of wandering around the vicinity of the Finnish city of Lappeenranta and making contact with people. The moose calf was not the least afraid of people and even allowed himself to be petted and reportedly even responded to its name. Owing to videos laid out in the social networks, Hömelö became not only a local celebrity, but also rose to fame abroad, Finland's national broadcaster Yle reported.

The Finnish police, however, was not impressed with Hömelö's foolhardy behavior or his sociable habits. It was asserted that the amiable moose was sick, and he was shot dead for posing a "danger to motorists." By its own admission, the police repeatedly tried to drive the animal off the road, but it kept returning, thus creating a clear threat to local traffic.

​Unsurprisingly, the decision to kill the moose triggered an outcry among animal-loving locals. Many Lappeenranta residents questioned the humanity of the decision and supported the idea of sending the beast to a zoo instead.

However, the "death sentence" was also approved by the Lappeenranta region's chief veterinarian Elina Sihvo, who found all the necessary prerequisites for the animal to be shot. According to Sihvo, there is usually something wrong with a wild animal that does not shy from contact with people. She also said it was preferable to put down an animal incapable of taking care of itself if the alternative was to let it fall prey to wolves and winter cold. She also ventured that the moose calf had a bone fracture or an inborn development defect. Finally, Sihvo ruled out the possibility of moving the moose in a horse trailer and running the risk of exposing other animals to a possible infection.

Lastly, the decision to shoot Hömelö was approved of by Mirkka Nousiainen from the local branch of the Animal Protection Society, who claimed it was "the only correct one." The exact explanation for the unfortunate Hömelö's non-standard behavior will be obtained after a postmortem, Yle reported.

Never miss a story again — sign up to our Telegram channel and we'll keep you up to speed!