After several failed attempts – and without a Scandinavian presence since the Ice Ages – the endangered muskox species was successfully reintroduced into the Norwegian fauna around 1950. The animals came from Greenland – and the main Norwegian muskox habitat is the mountain area of Dovre.
On 22 July 1964, a stray muskox bull killed 73-year-old Ole P. Stølen from Oppdal, Trøndelag, Norway. Local authorities later shot the animal to prevent further attacks.
The muskox’s mating season begins in late June and peaks in mid-August. The dominant bull fights and drives away opponents from the herd. It was probably a stressed and evicted muskox bull that attacked Ole P. Stølen on that fatal day.
When a group of five curious locals approached the bull at close range, it made a furious attack. It first hit Stølen in the back.
Initially, Stølen seemed unharmed, stood up, grabbed a stone, and tried to shoo the animal away. That was his second and fatal mistake. The bull charged again. This time, it hit Stølen in the front, a blow that threw Stølen’s body several metres through the air and down a slope. The animal stood still for quite some time, preventing the shocked bystanders from getting to their neighbour.
The police and an ambulance were called and arrived shortly thereafter, but there was nothing to be done: Ole Stølen had lost his life.
The bull moved away from the spot and towards a more densely populated area. The police took no chances and ordered the animal shot.
Ole Pedersen Stølen was born on 13 May 1891 in Oppdal, and his final resting place is within the Oppdal cemetery.
NRO.A.13 | Adresseavisen. 1964.07.23 page 1. Nasjonalbiblioteket nb.no. | Glåmdalen. 1964.07.23 page 1. Nasjonalbiblioteket nb.no.