"Drunken elk hides kids' swing set in a tree"

Spotted by Sue in The Local - Sweden's News In English:

A homeowner from Storebro in northern Kalmar County arrived home on Wednesday night to find his garden littered with bits of apple and other signs that an elk had been partying in his back yard, the local Östran and Barometern newspapers reported.

The concerned homeowner also discovered that the children's swing set which normally sat in the yard was missing. The man immediately called police, who contacted a local hunter to track down the inebriated elk who was thought to possibly be injured.

Drunken elk are common in Sweden during the autumn season when fermenting apples are plentiful, both on the ground and hanging from the branches of trees which many Swedes have in their yards.

While police and the hunter failed to meet up with the prank-playing elk, they did eventually find the family's swing set, propped up in a tree deep in the woods about 500 metres from their home.

Possibly one of the greatest headlines of the modern era.

A carefully placed antler...

Spotted by Peter Risdon in The Daily Telegraph:

A female hunter accidentally shot dead 70-year-old cross-country skier when a bullet she fired ricocheted off an elk and struck the victim, according to reports.

Police were investigating the incident and the account given by the female hunter and her companion about the bullet first striking the elk and then bouncing off to hit the skier, killing the man instantly...

Who would have thought that an elk would be capable of the intricate maths required to achieve this feat, which is presumably about ten thousand times more difficult than heading a football into the goal?

Click the 'elks' label for the other story involving a Scandinavian elk and a violent death.

The perfect alibi ...

Spotted by JuliaM at the BBC:

A Swedish man who was arrested on suspicion of murdering his wife has been cleared, after police decided she was probably killed by an elk...

The European elk, or moose, is usually considered to be shy and will normally run away from humans. But Swedish Radio International says the animals can become aggressive after eating fermented fallen apples in gardens.

Mr Westlund and the elk were last seen setting off on a luxury round the world cruise. Allegedly.