- An elk wandered into central Stockholm and roamed a street of eateries early Monday
- Police received reports of the young elk on the outskirts of Stockholm in the early hours
- The elk was seen on Rorstrandsgatan, a street with cafes and restaurants, which were closed
Early risers in Stockholm glimpsed an unusual sight on Monday when an elk strayed into the city centre and roamed a street of popular eateries before being put down, police said.
Police began receiving reports of the young elk, also known as a moose in North America, on the outskirts of the Swedish capital in the early hours of Monday morning.
Reports later came in of it walking around central streets, including the Rorstrandsgatan strip packed with cafes and restaurants with outdoor seating, which were closed at the time.
Animal control agents finally put the animal down around 7:00 am (0500 GMT).
"When elk are in densely populated areas there can be a danger for traffic and such, so a decision was made to put the animal down," Stockholm police spokeswoman Susanna Rinaldo told AFP.
Elk are found in most areas of Sweden and an adult can grow to over two metres (6.5 feet) tall and weigh between 200 and 800 kilograms.
Anna Westberg, another police spokeswoman, told broadcaster SVT it was likely a calf that had been rejected by its mother and become confused.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
