Moose on the loose in Stockholm subway creates havoc and is shot dead

STOCKHOLM (AP) — A moose which was found wandering down the tracks of the Stockholm subway and causing havoc was shot dead by a wildlife ranger on Wednesday after the service on the southern part of a busy line had to be suspended.

The moose somehow managed to enter the enclosure that surrounds the tracks and roamed the southwestern part of the so-called Red Line with above-ground stations. At one point, seven stations had to be closed.

Claes Keisu, a press officer with the subway operating company — owned by Stockholm County Council — told Swedish news agency TT that the animal had entered the Varby Gard station in suburban Stockholm at around 11 a.m.

TT said that the moose wandered for several hours and the number of stations that were shut down gradually increased. At most, a total of seven stations along the Red Line that goes from north to south via the city center were shut.

The animal moved back and forth very quickly, Keisu said. After failed efforts to catch it or make it leave the enclosure, the moose turned around and ran in the opposite direction. It was shot dead at Varby Gard at about 3 p.m., after which the traffic slowly resumed.

The first track of the Stockholm was opened in 1950. The subway system has about 100 stations. The red line has 36 stations and opened in 1964, according to the operator.