One of Highland Perthshire’s greatest moose-teries has been solved.
A stunned Courier reader sought the help of Craigie column fans after coming across an errant elk at the weekend.
Helen Lauridsen captured a photograph of the huge beast as she made her way home to Kinloch Rannoch on Sunday afternoon.
Since the species has been extinct in Scotland for more than 3,000 years, she was baffled by its sudden appearance in the wild.
Ms Lauridsen revealed how the bull moose’s surprise adventure almost ended in tragedy when he leapt out in front of her friend’s car, close to the popular Queen’s View beauty spot.
“We really got quite a shock,” she said.
“It was darting about the road and staring right at us, so we really didn’t know if it was going to attack us.
“We stopped and waited for it to go and it disappeared up the hill again when another car came past.
“It really isn’t something you expect when you’re out for a Sunday drive.”
Although Ms Lauridsen suspected the elusive elk might have escaped from a nearby wildlife park, both the Scottish Deer Centre and Highland Wildlife Park confirmed their herds were accounted for.
Desperate for answers, she posted the photograph online and was met with a mixture of disdain and accusations of manipulating the image.
She added: “Some didn’t believe me, while others said it wasn’t the Tummel Bridge road.
“A lot of people said I must have photoshopped the moose but I wouldn’t even know how to.”
Others offered advice on how to prove there really was a moose loose from someone’s hoose, with one person telling her to “put a bit of cheese in your pocket. If it chases you, it’s a moose”.
Fortunately, The Courier was able to track down the estate where the moose had escaped from.
They confirmed the lovelorn lad had returned home on Monday after spending the weekend looking for a mate and was now safely back in captivity.