A moose died after getting tangled in an abandoned telephone cable in Northern Norway. The animal was discovered by hunters on Dyrøya island in Øksnes municipality.
Hunter Arne Harald Karlsen described finding the moose carcass. He said the ground around the animal showed clear signs of struggle.
The moose appeared to have fought desperately to free itself before dying. Karlsen reported the incident to local authorities.
Municipal wildlife manager Bengt Stian Nilsen expressed distress about the animal's suffering. He confirmed the cable belonged to telecom company Telenor.
This marks another incident where wildlife has become trapped in outdated infrastructure. The abandoned copper network was shut down for Telenor customers in 2022 but remained accessible to other providers until recently.
Telenor has now dispatched a cleanup crew to the area. Company spokesperson Anders Krokan said they were disturbed by the images and are prioritizing cable removal.
The telecom giant operates an extensive network across Norway. It includes over 1.3 million telephone poles and 143,000 kilometers of cables.
Clearing the entire outdated system will take several years. The company describes it as a large-scale environmental project.
Local hunters hope this tragedy will accelerate cleanup efforts. They note several other dangerous cables remain in the area.
Norway's rugged landscape presents unique challenges for infrastructure maintenance. This incident highlights the environmental costs of outdated technology.