“The elk was stressed and represented a danger to traffic and the general public,” Anna Göransson, a press spokesperson for the local police, told Swedish state broadcaster SVT.
The elk was reported to the police after it was seen in the area around Kungsportsavenyn, or 'Avenyn', which on Friday and Saturday is packed with restaurant and theatre-goers late into the night.
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“It is of course unusual that an elk makes its way into central Gothenburg. I don't need any statistics to tell you that,” Göransson told the broadcaster.
After police arrived on the scene, the elk began to move towards the city's Ullevi Stadium at which point the officers made the decision to call in professional hunters to have it shot, judging it would be unable to make its way back to the forests surrounding the city.
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Why does Sweden like so much to kill animals, last time the same happened with a swan protecting his nest. They could also shoot it with a sedative and just move the animal to the forest and let it wake up there… this part of Swedish culture is sickening.