Expert warns roads endanger wildlife after moose crash

A motorist hit and killed a moose on the Helsingør motorway in North Zealand on Monday morning, prompting a wildlife expert to warn that roads put wandering animals at risk, DR reports.

The collision happened at about 6am in the northbound lanes towards Nivå, between Kokkedal and Humlebæk, according to police. The 36-year-old driver told officers the moose suddenly appeared just metres in front of her as she drove in the inside lane.

The impact shattered the car’s front and rear windshields and crumpled its bonnet and roof. The woman appeared to be unharmed but was taken to hospital for a check-up. The moose was found dead about 100 metres from the car, and the emergency services company Falck collected it, North Zealand Police told DR.

Bjørn Aaris-Sørensen, a wildlife consultant with the Nature Agency in North Zealand, said roads and railways make it dangerous for animals to move around Denmark. He said many wild animals are hit by vehicles, not only moose.

Moose have been spotted several times in North Zealand this year. In May, one was seen on the outskirts of Hellebæk Kohave. The Nature Agency said at the time that it believed the animal had swum to Denmark from Sweden. In September, a moose was seen running around a farm in Hundested and was later spotted on the beach at Kikhavn. It is not known whether it was the same animal seen in May.