Polar Park moose shot by hunters in zoo

[Chlidonias]

a bit of an odd story, from a zoo I had never heard of:

Hunters kill 2 moose, realize they are inside zoo | New York Post

18 October 2015

Hunters in Norway stalked and killed two moose — before realizing that the animals were actually inside a zoo, officials said.

The hunters told authorities they fired through a fence at the Polar Park Zoo near the country’s northern town of Narvik, only to learn that they had just killed captive animals, according to Norwegian website, The Local.

The men called the zoo to explain their mistake, telling workers there that their hunting dogs had somehow gotten inside the enclosure and began chasing the moose, prompting them to take aim.

“I reacted with disbelief, and the first few seconds afterwards were pretty unreal,” Polar Park executive director Heinz Strathmann told the site.

“I think this is very sad, and it’s not OK,” he said. “We had five [moose], now we have only three.”

But Arne Nysted, chairman of the Troms County wildlife tribunal, said there was no reason why the hunters should be punished, calling the moose slaying an honest mistake.

“This is a regrettable mistake made in connection with lawful hunting on the outside of the park,” he said.

“It was a fatal error, but everyone understands that it was not done at all on purpose.”

The Polar Park Zoo covers an area of about 350 square miles and includes several enclosures where animals are kept in their natural habitats.

The original story, which is mostly identical:

Hunters kill two elk in Norway zoo accident - The Local

15 October 2015

A group of hunters in far northern Norway shot dead two elk only to realise seconds later that they had been shooting through the fence into a zoo.

“I reacted with disbelief, and the first few seconds afterwards were pretty unreal,” Heinz Strathmann, the chief executive of Polar Park zoo, north of the town of Narvik.

“I think this is very sad, and it’s not OK. We had five elks, now we have only three.”

The hunters themselves rang the zoo to inform them of what had happened, explaining that their elk hounds had managed to get inside the elks enclosure, and then given chase, preventing the hunters from realising that they were shooting into a zoo.

Arne Nysted, chairman of the wildlife tribunal in Troms County, said that there was no need to punish the men.

“This is a regrettable mistake made in connection with lawful hunting on the outside of the park,” he said. “It was a fatal error, but everyone understands that it was not done at all on purpose.”

Katrine Grimnes from the police in the nearby town of Målselv said police would not comment on the shootings until the hunter had been properly interviewed.

“We’ve have spoken to the hunting party, been out and stood at the place which he shot from, and formed a picture of what he would have seen and what the area looks like. We do not want to comment further until we have questioned the hunter himself,” she said.

Polar Park intends to demand compensation for the two elk, and have already begun searching for replacements

 

[Arizona Docent]

How could they not know where the zoo was. And shooting through a fence should be a clue. They realized their mistake "seconds later?" Whole thing sounds suspicious. Also, here in USA at least (and I would assume other countries), ignorance of the law does not exempt you from the law. So how do they get off unpunished?

 

[annebn]

How could they not know where the zoo was. And shooting through a fence should be a clue. They realized their mistake "seconds later?" Whole thing sounds suspicious. Also, here in USA at least (and I would assume other countries), ignorance of the law does not exempt you from the law. So how do they get off unpunished?

According to the Norwegian news sites I have found about the incident (like the one below from Norwegian television) , it is too early to say if they will go unpunished.
The "wildlife tribunal" chairman (I'm really not sure that's the right translation) says the hunt in itself was legal. But that doesn't mean that shooting into a zoo is.
The article says that the police are investigating, but will not comment to the press until they have questioned the hunters, and the zoo says it will demand compensation.

Jaktlag skjt og drepte elger i dyrepark - NRK Troms - Lokale nyheter, TV og radio

 

[annebn]

And in an update to the story, the hunters will apparently be questioned by the police today. The punishment for the paragraph in the "game law" that they are suspected of having broken is fines or up to maximum one year prison.

Skjt elg i dyrepark - vil ikke kommentere tabben - NRK Troms - Lokale nyheter, TV og radio