Drunken Elk Saved from Apple Tree in Sweden

A drunken elk became lodged in an apple tree during a desperate search for one more mouthful of fermenting apples, in Western Sweden.

Per Johansson of Saro, south of Gothenberg, returned home from work on Tuesday and reportedly heard a bellowing noise. He discovered the inebriated animal clambering in his neighbor's yard.

I thought at first that someone was having a laugh. Then, I went over to take a look and spotted an elk stuck in an apple tree with only one leg left on the ground, Johansson told newspaper The Local.

I thought it looked pretty bad, so I called the police who sent out an on-call hunter. But while we were waiting, the neighbors and I started to saw down some of the branches, and then the hunter arrived with a saw as well, Johansson said.

The group's attempts proved fruitless, and it was not until the fire brigade arrived on the scene that the elk was able to slide out of the branches to freedom.

Authorities believe that the elk likely stumbled into the apple tree in an attempt to reach even higher for the delicious but intoxicating fruit.

According to Johansson, the elk may have been on a bit of a bender.

My neighbor recognized it as the animal that almost ran into her car earlier in the day. She was pretty sure the elk was already under the influence, he said.

The elk reportedly passed out in the grass by the apple tree after the incident and toddled away the following morning.

Drunken elk are reportedly quite common in Sweden during the autumn season, when there are a plethora of fermenting apples lying about in Swedish gardens.

In 2007, a Swedish elk drowned in Stockholm after getting drunk on apples and falling through the ice of a frozen inlet.