These innocent musk oxen calves will soon become adults that are known to be aggressive towards humans. (Photo: Langedrag Wildlife Park)

Musk oxen are known to be very aggressive towards humans. This Langedrag Wildlife Park will do something about and will try to tame the 3.5 million years old ancient animal.

The wildlife park, located in a mountainous area between the Hallingdal and Numedal valleys, has received two nine months old musk oxen calves from Sweden. The calves already weigh more than 100 kilos (221 lbs).

Soon they will weigh 350-450 kilos (772 – 992 lbs), develop sharp horns and reach a top speed of more than 60 kilometers per hour (37 mph). Musk oxen are not known to be enthusiastic about people and many are terrified of the hostile animals.

Manager at Langedrag, Tuva Thorson, says to NRK Buskerud that she is curious about how far they can get in gaining trust of an animal that is not traditionally accustomed to being near people.

Survived Mammoth and Saber-Toothed Tiger

Thanks to bureaucracy and paperwork the two calves are already nine months old, and Langedrag Wildlife Park faces a demanding period to make them a natural part of the park described as “a sanctuary for animals, birds and people”.

Musk oxen are well adapted to arctic cold and have survived for 3.5 million years. (Photo: Langedrag Wildlife Park)

– We are curious about how far we can get with the musk oxen, and if we had got them as young calves it would perhaps have been different, says Thorson.

In 1913, workers building the railway over the Dovrefjell mountains found two musk ox vertebrae fossils. In 1932, ten animals were reintroduced on Dovrefjell by polar explorer Adolf Hoel and today the population consists of about 300 individuals.

The fascinating and aggressive animal has survived both mammoth and saber-toothed tiger indicating that it is not easy to control.

Text by: Thor Lanesskog, ThorNews

Categories: Nature, Quirky