Moose Kills Man After He Tried to Take Photos of Her Newborn Calves

A man is dead after he tried to photograph the calves of a cow moose in Alaska on May 19.

According to reports, 70-year-old Dale Chorman was looking for the cow moose with a friend in Homer, Alaska at around noon on Sunday. The moose had two calves, and like most animals, moose are very protective of their young. Reports of exactly what happened are conflicting, but it appears that Chorman was kicked by the moose, which resulted in his death.

In general, moose will not attack unless provoked or if they feel the need to protect their young. When agitated enough, they will charge, stomp, and kick the perceived threat. Moose are very big animals, with the adult cows standing up to seven feet tall and weighing between 800 and 900 pounds.

If you’ll allow me a quick aside: years ago, I was driving on a stretch of highway known as Moose Alley in Northern British Columbia. It’s a long, desolate road without any lights. At about 2 a.m., and I rounded a bend driving just a bit too fast. A cow moose was attempting to cross and I drove into her, hitting her with the passenger side of the hood. She flipped up and onto the windshield, caving it in completely, then rolled over the roof and off the back. My truck was totaled, of course, but that didn’t matter all that much. I still have a hard time thinking about seeing her struggling to get up before limping off into the woods. My roof was squashed almost to the seats and the hood was crumpled like paper. Moose are very, very large and very, very heavy.

Alaska State Troopers said that Chorman was pronounced dead at the scene and that his friend was unharmed. Chorman was aware of the dangers — he was a naturalist and bear guide, according to the Daily News — but attempted to get a photo despite the danger.

“Dale died on his property, tromping through the woods with a dear friend, in pursuit of a great photograph,” his son, Nathan Spence-Chorman, wrote on social media, according to The Alaska Daily News. “This was his favorite thing to do. … Dale was highly experienced around wildlife. He was intimately familiar with nature, and had no naiveté about its danger. This was not a hapless fool stumbling into danger — this was a person who went out looking for a great photo, knowing the risks, and got caught in a dangerous moment.”

Chorman’s son went on to say that the moose was not at fault and that she was merely following her instincts.

“She was just protecting her offspring,” Spence-Chorman said. “Dale had remarked the previous day that the brush was particularly thick this year — thick enough to get closer than intended, and surprise a wild animal by accident.”

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