Hunters shoot two moose before realizing they were firing into a zoo

A Norwegian hunting party must have been amazed at their luck when they found and shot dead two large moose.

But moments later, a horrible realization dawned on them: They'd shot through a fence and killed two zoo animals.

According to The Local, a Norwegian news site, a group of hunters killed two of Polar Park's five moose (the animals are referred to as elk in Norway, but they're part of the species North Americans would call moose). The zoo is located in the northern Norwegian town of Narvik, and the animals are caged but exhibited in "their natural surroundings."

The hunting party self-reported the incident, calling the zoo to let them know about the unfortunate accident. It seems their hunting dogs snuck into the moose exhibit so the hunters didn't realize there was a fence at all.

"This is a regrettable mistake made in connection with lawful hunting on the outside of the park," Troms County wildlife tribunal chairman Arne Nysted told The Local. "It was a fatal error, but everyone understands that it was not done at all on purpose."

Polar Park plans on asking the hunting party for compensation.