Drunken elk rescued from tree

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SARO, Sweden, Sept. 7 (UPI) -- A Swedish man said an elk became stuck in his tree while drunk from eating fermented apples and required the assistance of emergency responders to get down.

Per Johansson of Saro said he returned home from work Tuesday and discovered "an elk stuck in an apple tree with only one leg left on the ground," The Local reported Wednesday.

"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.

Johansson said the group tried to free the elk but had no success until firefighters arrived and manipulated the tree to where the inebriated elk could slide out of the branches.

Johansson said the elk quickly passed out in his yard. He said he believes the elk had been drunk from eating fermented apples.

"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," Johansson said.

He said the elk, appearing to be hung over, managed to get up in the morning and stumble away.