Historic moment for biodiversity in Romania: The first moose are brought to the Vânători-Neamț Natural Park, after 200 years since the species disappeared from the territory of the country.

The Vânători-Neamț Natural Park has started a program for the repopulation with elk, announced by director Sebastian Cătănoiu. The first four elk, one male and three females, were brought from Germany, Switzerland, and France and will remain in quarantine for a month, after which they will be released into semi-freedom.

This initiative is part of the park's management plan, approved in 2016, which provides for the reintroduction of large herbivores into Romania's fauna. Although the elk has apparently disappeared from the local fauna, Cătănoiu mentions that there have been sporadic observations in the past.

If the elk acclimatize, the park will seek to acquire other individuals. Other species, such as the wild horse and the aurochs, are also targeted for reintroduction, but without a set timeline.

According to biologists, the species disappeared from the forests of Romania about 200 years ago.