The Grünwald police department believes it’s a hoax. Officials discovered a sign at the beginning of the Mühltalberg in Straßlach-Dingharting that warned of mooses. A black specimen of the genus was depicted in a red triangle, the sign looked very professional and was also placed exactly between the sign warning of the 18 percent gradient and the notice of the 30 km/h limit, at the point where otherwise the mostly ignored bicycle ban is emblazoned. Because of course there are still countless cyclists who don’t push their bikes down here, but let them roll.
One or two of them probably sped past the unusual warning without noticing it. But perhaps many a two-wheeler rider hesitated before setting off, stopped his vehicle and took a closer look at the sign. Basically, it could be a tried and tested way to get cyclists to dismount. The police were nevertheless forced to unscrew the foreign sign that is said to have been hanging there since Maundy Thursday. In the meantime, a new bicycle prohibition sign is hanging there, the old one was stolen by the unknown perpetrator – Mayor Hans Sienerth suspects a frustrated cyclist. The moose sign, in turn, is held by the police as evidence.
The officials have now issued a press release claiming that no mooses have yet been spotted in the Isar meadows. But how can you know that for sure? The stranger could have met Bert the moose and then generously sacrificed the shield he had brought with him from his vacation in Scandinavia. Because according to the blog of the World Wildlife Fund, a specimen of the Nordic animals migrated from Poland to Brandenburg in 2018 and has since been observed on its migrations by employees of the Eberswalde University, who also gave it its name, with a telemetry collar. As a result, a warning sign with an elk was put up in Brandenburg – in a place kept secret in the blog, so that it is not stolen and not too many people go looking for Bert and scare him away again. But perhaps he was disturbed after all and made a trip to Straßlach-Dingharting. The Grünwald police should apply for administrative assistance in Eberswalde. And take good care of the moose sign, maybe it will still be needed after all.