Emil the Elk caught after long summer on the loose in Central EuropeIt was unclear whether the operation was carried out in co-ordination with the Czech authorities. The elk, nicknamed Emil, was tranquilised by Austrian wildlife officials on Monday after straying dangerously close to a motorway near the village of Sattledt, Upper Austria. A wandering elk spotted at dozens of locations across Central Europe this summer has been captured by authorities in Austria and released close to the Czech border. The Sumava is home to an estimated population of 10-20 elk, and it is hoped Emil will join them, rather than continue his perambulations. According to Czech Radio's online news portal iRozhlas, he has wandered through 60 towns and villages in four countries – Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria – in a journey approaching 500 kilometres.