Muskoxen in my backyard

“Jägarens fälthandbok” is a field guide for hunters in Sweden, written by Karl Henning and Rolf Svensson. The publication date is 1994. It features mammals and birds. All of Sweden is covered, including the coasts and islands, which explain why some species I assumed were strictly “Atlantic” show up in the book. There are no range maps, but the ranges are described in the species presentations. Curiously for a book directed at hunters, it contains no information on hunting seasons (if any) for the game animals?!

For obvious reasons, moose, roe deer, red deer and fallow deer are prominently featured. The guide seems pretty exhaustive, even showing Samson foxes (a genetic mutation) and foxes with scabies. All ducks are shown flying! I presume that´s how hunters usually see them (that, and in dead condition). 

I was surprised to learn that the mouflon and muskox are part of the Swedish fauna – I would be *very* surprised if a bunch of muskoxen would munch on the tulips in my backyard! Apparently, the muskox (really a species from Greenland) has been introduced to Norway, and a small group sneaked across the Swedish border into Härjedalen. A more sinister addition to the Swedish wildlife is the raccoon dog, which spreads a deadly disease that can infect humans through blueberries. I don´t mind if there is a permanent hunting season on these critters…

Just leave the muskoxen alone, will ya!