Darkened shed treatment for lovesick Scots moose

Hercules pictured after escaping from Pitcastle Estate. Picture: Contributed

Six-year-old bull Hercules led his owners on a moose-chase over the weekend, after smashing free from his enclosure on a Highland Perthshire estate trying to find a mate.

He managed to evade capture by hiding in a forestry plantation at Dalnacardoch Wood -- about 30 miles away from the Pitcastle Estate at Strathtay.

Unfortunately for the errant elk, he was spotted by workers on Wednesday morning before he could complete his journey to the Highland Wildlife Park, home to a female European elk.

For the second time in a week, his owners tracked him down and returned him home.

A team from Pitcastle rushed to the site and cornered the gentle giant, spending hours coaxing him into a waiting trailer before taking him home.

Estate manager said they would be taking extra precautions to ensure Hercules doesn’t make a third bid for freedom.

Mr Broad said Thursday: “He’ll be going into solitary.

“We’re going to lock him in a darkened shed until the rut is over so he can’t escape again.

“Rutting tends to last up to three weeks, so he’s almost at the end of it then he should be back to normal.”

Hercules had also escaped last week, shocking a driver as she spotted him on the grassy side of the A9.

Helen Lauridsen captured a photo of the moose, which led one of her friends to tell her: “”Put a bit of cheese in your pocket. If it chases you, it’s a moose”.