Moose makes a surprise splash in the sea: An unexpected encounter
9:43 AM EDT, September 18, 2024
A very unusual event took place in the town of Ahlbeck on Usedom Island. In the waters of the Baltic Sea, walkers spotted a huge moose that had reached the German side from Poland.
Walkers strolling along the Baltic beach in Ahlbeck certainly did not expect such a sight. On September 17th, a huge moose was spotted in the waters of the Baltic Sea, having made its way to Germany from the Polish side of the island.
The animal behaved very calmly—first taking a bath in the Baltic, then observing the turbulent waters from the beach. Local services, including an animal protection organization, arrived quickly.
Services quickly intervened, but onlookers didn't make the task easier
The moose had considerable trouble getting out of the sea—the massive animal made several attempts to reach the shore. The authorities immediately cordoned off a section of the beach near the moose, but many onlookers were difficult to keep at a distance.
Local observers caused quite a few problems for the police—one onlooker even crossed the barriers to capture photos of the unusual sight.
According to a representative of the veterinary service, the moose that ended up on the German side was an adult that could have weighed between 1,500 and 2,200 pounds. It likely reached the German coast from one of the forests in Poland.
The visit of this massive, wild animal in Ahlbeck lasted several hours. In the afternoon, the moose decided to return along the coast to the Polish side of the island.
This is not the first case of a moose appearing on the German part of Usedom Island. Local services link these sightings to the significant increase in the moose population in Poland since the cessation of hunting in the early 1990s.
