NOT ME, GUV: An elk, but not drunk and not part of a gang as far as we know.

Humans aren't the only angry drunks out there. Alcohol abuse by animals is apparently also on the rise.

For example, Sweden's drunken elk season is just beginning. During the northern autumn months, ripe fruit falls to the ground and ferments, giving even elks enough alcohol to get a good buzz on.

A few weeks ago a Stockholm police incident report stated that a mob of the boozed-up elks - four adults and one calf - had terrorised a local homeowner after he refused to let them into his garden.

The Local talked to the policeman who filed the report.

Here's what officer Albin Näverberg had to say: "I'm not surprised that [the homeowner] called the police when he was faced with a gang of five drunken elk. They can be really dangerous. They become fearless. Instead of backing away when a person approaches, they move toward you. They may even take a run at you."

Näverberg told The Local he had some fun writing up the report. "Things were quiet and when it came in. I said, 'I have to write this up.'"



The boozy animals left the scene when the police showed up, the Alaska Dispatch said. A similar story made news in 2011 when a drunk moose ended up stuck in a tree.

Drunk animals aren't all that rare. Fungus turns the sugars in fruits into alcohols. In the Stockholm case, the fruit in question was likely apples from the homeowner's tree. Even fruit flies get drunk - and get rid of parasites while they do it.

While a Scientific American story from 2008 claimed to find scant evidence that animals like to get drunk in the wild, other anecdotal stories abound. Mother Nature News reported finding five creatures who loved getting drunk, including elephants and bears.

The reports of drunk elephants seemed to be exaggerated, though. While the animals do eat alcoholic fruits from the Marula Tree in the wild, they don't eat nearly enough to get them drunk.

Some animals are used to the naturally occurring alcohols in fermented fruit, and even seek it out. One species of shrew can "drink" all night without ill effects, as can some fruit bats.

Not all animals get drunk naturally, though. Over the weekend a feral pig was spotted ravaging a Western Australian campsite for beers. After stealing what was reported as 18 beers from campers, the pig was seen getting into a fight with a cow, according to ABC News in Australia.

Those looking for more elk weirdness should check out The Local's version of the story. It contains links to these headline gems: Leffe, the Moose Man Who Offers 'Elk Intimacy' and Elk Threesome After A Fermented Apple Binge.

- with Business Insider Australia