Moose can cover distances of up to 30km a day.
More and more moose are being spotted in eastern Germany after crossing the border from Poland and the Czech Republic.
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The huge animals, which can weigh as much as 700kg, have captured the German publc's imagination, with some being given names.
Probably the best known was 'Knutschi' who immigrated from Poland in 2008 and travelled through several federal states before sadly passing away in 2009.
More recently, moose 'Emil' has a website set up in his name to track his progress across Europe. He was first seen in Austria last autumn before being spotted in the Bohemian and Bavarian Forests. Fans say the last sighting of Emil was at the Frauenau drinking water reservoir in the Bavarian Forest in October 2025.
Moose are considered to be solitary animals that can cover long distances of up to 30 kilometres per day.
The moose end up in Germany thanks, largely, to conservation efforts in Poland and the Czech Republic.
Moose were hunted to extinction
There are thought to be 30,000 moose living in Poland, according to the German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU). Moose populations have recovered significantly following protective measures, leading them to move westwards.
Moose were widespread throughout Germany until the Middle Ages. They then disappeared completely due to hunting and habitat loss, according to World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
In Poland, however, the animals are not popular with everyone, as reported by Germany's Deutsche Welle (DW). Many of them are involved in road accidents, leading to moose hunting being allowed again to control numbers and risk.
Likewise in Germany, say NABU, the greatest danger for moose is road traffic. Due to their size of 1 metre 40 to just over two metres, collisions with cars are serious.
According to Die Welt, however, experts do not see this as an acute problem, as the population is still very small. Whether it will stay that way or whether moose will settle permanently remains to be seen. Much depends on how the population in Poland continues to develop. If more animals migrate westwards, the likelihood that they will remain in Germany increases.
Why are moose coming to Germany?
Germany is at the western limit of the animals' distribution. According to the WWF, an estimated ten to 15 animals migrate through north-east Germany every year, but most of them return.
In principle, moose can cope with different landscapes as long as there is forest and water available. In Germany, Brandenburg is particularly popular with moose because of the large, sparsely populated forest and wetland areas that offer the animals suitable conditions.
Despite the return of many moose, only 15-20 moose are estimated to be living in Germany.
