Imagine driving on a beautiful Norwegian road at dusk. The forest is deep and quiet. Suddenly, a dark shape moves onto the road. It’s an elk, a massive animal. You hit the brakes, but it’s too late. This terrible situation happens thousands of times every year in Norway. When it does, a special group of people gets a call. They are not the police or a regular emergency service. They are the Viltnemnda, and their job is to handle this exact crisis.
What is the Viltnemnda?
The Viltnemnda (which means “Municipal Wildlife Committee”) is a local government body in Norway. Every municipality, or kommune, has one. Its members are usually appointed by the local politicians. They are often local people with deep knowledge of the area’s nature, hunting, and wildlife.
This committee is responsible for managing the local wildlife population. This includes tasks like approving hunting quotas and managing conservation efforts. But their most critical and time-sensitive job is responding to wildlife accidents, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The Viltnemnda is the official authority responsible for what happens to an animal after it is hit by a car or train.
A Common Crisis: The Wildlife Accident
In a country with so much nature, conflicts between wildlife and humans are common. The most frequent and dangerous conflict is on the roads. Norway has large populations of elk (called elg), red deer (hjort), and roe deer (rådyr). These animals often cross roads, especially at dawn and dusk.
A collision with a 500-kilogram elk can be deadly for the driver and is almost always deadly or catastrophic for the animal. But what happens in the minutes after the crash? The animal may be dead on the road, or it may be badly injured and has run back into the forest in panic and pain. This is where the process begins.
The Driver’s Legal Duty
If you are a driver in Norway and you hit a large animal, you have a clear legal duty. You cannot, under any circumstances, drive away. This is not just a moral rule; it is the law. Failing to report the accident is a criminal offense.
The first step is to stop your car safely and put out a warning triangle to protect other drivers. Your first phone call must be to the Norwegian Police at their non-emergency number, 02800. You must report exactly what you hit and where you are. Your next job is just as critical: you must mark the spot.
Marking the Spot: A Vital Clue
If the animal is dead, the location is obvious. But if the animal is injured and runs away, you must mark the exact place it left the road. This is the single most important piece of information for the tracking team.
People use whatever they have: a plastic bag tied to a branch, a piece of bright clothing, or a special marker ribbon. This mark is the starting line for the search. Without it, the tracking team may never find the suffering animal. Once you have called the police and marked the spot, your legal duty is done. Now, the professionals take over.
The Call is Made: How the Viltnemnda is Activated
When the police receive the call at 02800, they log the information and immediately contact the local Viltnemnda. Every wildlife committee has a person on duty at all times, ready to receive this call.
The person on duty then contacts their operational team. This team is often called the ettersøkslag (tracking team) or fallviltgruppe (fallen game group). This team is the “boots on the ground” for the Viltnemnda, and they must be ready to move out at any time, day or night.
The ‘Ettersøkslag’: The Viltnemnda’s Expert Team
The people on this team are not police officers. They are highly skilled, local experts contracted by the Viltnemnda. Most are experienced hunters who know the local land better than anyone. They are passionate about wildlife and animal welfare.
This is not a job for volunteers. These teams are paid for their time and expenses, and they must meet strict standards. They must have passed the annual Norwegian shooting test (skyteprøve). They must also have access to specific equipment, including powerful rifles and, most importantly, a specially trained dog.
The Most Important Tool: A Certified Tracking Dog
You cannot find an injured deer in a dark forest at 3:00 AM without help. The most important member of the team is the godkjent ettersøkshund—a certified tracking dog. This dog is a highly trained specialist.
These dogs, often breeds like the Bavarian Mountain Hound, are trained for one job: to follow the scent of blood and stress from a single wounded animal. They can ignore the tracks of healthy animals and stay focused on their target for many kilometers. The handler and dog are a registered team, and their certification must be renewed regularly.
A Race Against Time: The ‘Ettersøk’ (The Search)
The team arrives at the accident site. They find the marker left by the driver. This is where the ettersøk, or “the search,” begins. The dog is put into its harness, and the handler gives the command to start tracking.
The team follows the dog into the dark woods. This work is difficult and dangerous. They must cross rivers, climb hills, and move through thick forest, all while carrying a loaded rifle. The goal is to find the animal as fast as possible. The team’s main motivation is animal welfare. They know the animal is suffering, and their job is to end that suffering.
A Hard but Humane Job: The Act of Euthanasia
Often, the team finds the animal still alive, but terribly injured. Common injuries include broken legs, a broken pelvis, or severe internal damage. The animal cannot survive. The law is very clear: the animal must be euthanized, or “avliving,” as quickly and humanely as possible.
The team member finds a safe position and uses their rifle to kill the animal with a single, precise shot. Norwegian law is extremely strict about this. It is illegal to use a handgun or pistol for this. Only approved hunting rifles or shotguns are allowed, to ensure the death is instant and the animal does not suffer more.
What is ‘Fallvilt’? Understanding the Term
The animal that has been killed in an accident is now classified as fallvilt. This is a legal term for any wild game that is found dead or must be killed for reasons other than regular hunting.
This category includes animals hit by cars, animals hit by trains, animals that have drowned, or animals killed for safety reasons (e.g., an elk in a playground). The management of all fallvilt is the responsibility of the Viltnemnda.
The Alarming Numbers Behind the Accidents
This is not a rare event. The work of the wildlife committees is constant. According to Statistics Norway (SSB), the problem is massive. In the 2024-2025 reporting year, over 14,400 deer, elk, and roe deer were registered as fallvilt.
Of that number, 9,343 were killed by motor vehicles or trains. This includes over 6,800 roe deer and nearly 1,000 elk. Experts also believe that at least one-third of all accidents are never reported, so the true number is even higher. This data shows just how critical the Viltnemnda response system is.
Public Safety: Why This Job is Not Just About Animals
The role of the Viltnemnda is not only about animal welfare; it is also about public safety. A dead elk on a highway is a major hazard that can cause more accidents. The team is responsible for removing the carcass from the road.
Even more dangerous is a wounded animal. An elk with a broken leg is in terrible pain and is terrified. If it sees a person, it may attack. These animals are powerful and can easily kill a human. The Viltnemnda team is trained to handle this danger, protecting the public from a wounded animal.
After the Accident: Disease Control and Data
Once the animal is dead, the team’s job is still not done. They must perform two more important tasks. The first is disease control. They are required to take biological samples from the animal, especially from the brain and lymph nodes.
These samples are sent to a lab to test for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), or skrantesjuke. This is a highly contagious and deadly brain disease, similar to “mad cow disease.” By testing all fallvilt, the Viltnemnda acts as a national warning system to stop the spread of CWD.
A Valuable Resource: What Happens to the Animal?
The second task is to register the animal and manage the carcass. Every single incident is recorded in a national database called the Hjorteviltregisteret (The Deer Register). This data helps scientists understand animal movements and helps road authorities know where to build fences or warning signs.
But what about the animal itself? According to the Norwegian Wildlife Act (Viltloven, § 48), the carcass of a fallvilt animal does not belong to the driver or the landowner. It legally belongs to the municipality. The Viltnemnda must decide what to do with it.
The ‘Viltfondet’: A Smart, Sustainable System
If the animal is badly damaged or diseased, it is taken to an approved facility for destruction. But if the animal is in good condition, the meat is a valuable resource. The Viltnemnda can sell the meat.
The money from this sale does not go into the town’s general budget. It goes into a special, protected bank account called the kommunale viltfondet (municipal wildlife fund). This system is brilliant. The fund is then used to pay for all the Viltnemnda‘s wildlife management work.
A Smart, Sustainable System
The money in the viltfondet pays for the equipment for the tracking teams. It pays for their gasoline, their training, and the food for the tracking dogs.
In this way, the system pays for itself. The value from the animals that are tragically killed is used to fund the very service that protects other animals from suffering. It is a smart, local, and sustainable model that benefits the entire community.
The Human Side of the Viltnemnda
It is important to remember the people who do this work. Being on the Viltnemnda‘s tracking team is a tough job. These men and women leave their warm beds at all hours of the night, in snowstorms and pouring rain.
They have to see suffering and death up close. It is an emotionally difficult job that requires a deep sense of compassion and duty. They are providing a professional, humane service that most people never see. They are hidden heroes who show great respect for the animals they must kill.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- What is the Viltnemnda?
The Viltnemnda is a Norwegian municipal (local government) committee responsible for managing local wildlife, especially responding to wildlife-vehicle accidents 24/7. - What must I do if I hit a large animal in Norway?
You are legally required to stop, secure the scene with a warning triangle, and immediately call the police at 02800. If the animal runs away, you must mark the spot where it left the road. - What does “fallvilt” mean?
Fallvilt is the legal term for any wild game found dead or killed outside of a regular hunt, most commonly animals involved in traffic accidents. - Who finds the injured animal?
The Viltnemnda dispatches a specialized tracking team (an ettersøkslag) that uses a certified tracking dog (godkjent ettersøkshund) to find the wounded animal. - What happens to the animal’s body after an accident?
The animal, or fallvilt, legally belongs to the municipality. The team takes samples to test for disease (CWD), and if the meat is usable, it is sold. The money goes into a special wildlife fund (viltfondet) to pay for this service.
Conclusion
The Viltnemnda is far more than just a government committee. It is a vital, 24/7 emergency service. It protects public safety on the roads, prevents the spread of dangerous diseases, and provides crucial data for conservation. Most importantly, it ensures that an animal’s final moments are not filled with suffering. The next time you see a wildlife warning sign on a Norwegian road, you can be thankful for the dedicated local teams of the Viltnemnda waiting for a call.
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