Wolf on course spoils Norway golfer's drive
A golfer in Norway has complained of having his drive spoilt by a wolf which leapt onto the course just as he was approaching the thirteenth hole.
"I was completely alone on the golf course and was about to putt the ball at the thirteenth hole. That's when I saw it at the other end of the green looking at me," André Aass told Norway's TV2 broadcaster.
At first, Aass didn't know what to make of the unusual visitor.
"I wondered what it was, if it might be a dog. But I have two big German Shepherds myself, and this was bigger," he said. "I put down my putter and took out my five iron so that I would be prepared to swing if it got dangerous."
Aass' concern was not entirely unfounded. During the summer months, at least five lambs have been killed by wolves in the forests surrounding Oslo, prompting The County Governor of Oppland to issue a hunting license to kill the unwelcome predators.
Despite the wolf's menacing presence, Aass was determined to finish his round.
"The next hole went fine, but at the 16th, I got nervous. That hole is very close to the forest," he told local newspaper Romerikes Blad. "I drove the ball from the tee too quickly and got a really bad first drive."
There have been several sightings of wolves near Oslo in recent years, though they have not been common in the area previously.
“Everything indicates that they are Swedish wolves whose home territory is on the Swedish side of the border,” Ole Knut Steinseth from the Norwegian Nature Inspectorate told Norway’s VG newspaper.
“There should be no breeding wolves west of Glomma. If wolves begin to establish themselves, they should be removed. It’s a political decision.”
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"I was completely alone on the golf course and was about to putt the ball at the thirteenth hole. That's when I saw it at the other end of the green looking at me," André Aass told Norway's TV2 broadcaster.
At first, Aass didn't know what to make of the unusual visitor.
"I wondered what it was, if it might be a dog. But I have two big German Shepherds myself, and this was bigger," he said. "I put down my putter and took out my five iron so that I would be prepared to swing if it got dangerous."
Aass' concern was not entirely unfounded. During the summer months, at least five lambs have been killed by wolves in the forests surrounding Oslo, prompting The County Governor of Oppland to issue a hunting license to kill the unwelcome predators.
Despite the wolf's menacing presence, Aass was determined to finish his round.
"The next hole went fine, but at the 16th, I got nervous. That hole is very close to the forest," he told local newspaper Romerikes Blad. "I drove the ball from the tee too quickly and got a really bad first drive."
There have been several sightings of wolves near Oslo in recent years, though they have not been common in the area previously.
“Everything indicates that they are Swedish wolves whose home territory is on the Swedish side of the border,” Ole Knut Steinseth from the Norwegian Nature Inspectorate told Norway’s VG newspaper.
“There should be no breeding wolves west of Glomma. If wolves begin to establish themselves, they should be removed. It’s a political decision.”
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