Protective Cow Moose Kills Alaskan Man Attempting to Photograph Her Offspring

A moose attacked and killed a wildlife photographer who was attempting to take photos of her and her newborn twins on his property in Homer, Alaska.

According to Alaskapublic.org, the victim was 70-year-old Dale Chorman.

Family representative Tom Kizzia says Chorman and a friend were looking for the moose calves on Chorman’s property when the mother moose charged out of nowhere.

“They were going down to see how close they could get to see if they could get any pictures of these newborn twins, but it was really thick, real dense part of the woods,” Kizzia said. “It was thick alder and elderberry, like we know around here, and suddenly out of nowhere, that moose was coming at them. They hadn’t seen it.”

Kizzia told Alaska’s News Source that they turned to run and when the friend looked back, he saw that Chorman was already down on the ground and the moose was standing over him.

The friend went for help, but when he returned with medics, they declared Chorman dead. The moose had already left the area.

Chorman’s family has encouraged others not to hurt the moose, as it was defending its newborns, saying that the moose was acting in a way that Chorman would have understood.

Chorman’s family said he died doing what he loved doing most, being in nature and taking photos to share.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game warns that cow moose with calves can be very aggressive and to keep your distance.