A photographer was attacked and killed by a moose after attempting to take photos of its two newborn calves.
Photographer Dale Chorman was charged and kicked to death by a protective mother moose in Homer, Kachemak Bay in Alaska on Sunday.
Chorman, who was described as a well-known photographer in his community, had witnessed the moose giving birth to a pair of calves in his hometown of Homer on Sunday, reports Alaska News Source.
The 70-year-old photographer was so delighted by the experience that he brought a friend back to the area in the hopes of finding the moose and taking more photos with its calves.
Chorman and his friend had been walking through the brush and looking for the moose to take photos, when the mother launched its attack.
“As they were walking through the brush looking for the moose, that’s when the cow moose attacked Dale,” Austin McDaniel, a spokesperson for the Alaska Department of Public Safety, says.
McDaniel says that the attack happened as the Chorman and his friend were running away. The photographer’s friend, who has not been publicly identified, was uninjured.
According to authorities, Chorman’s friend did not witness the attack, but authorities believe that the moose killed Chorman by kicking or stomping him, or a combination.
Alaska State Trooper were called to the scene around 11:52 on Sunday after receiving reports that a cow moose had charged two men. Medics pronounced Chorman dead at the scene.
‘He Loved Sharing His Photos
In a statement to Alaska News Source, Chorman’s son Nathan paid tribute to his late father and his love for photography.
“We loved him. We love him,” Nathan tells Alaska News Source.
“I know you’ve all loved his photos over the years. He loved sharing them with you.”
The typical female moose weighs around 800 pounds, while their male counterparts weigh around 1,600 pounds. There are up to 200,000 moose in Alaska, a state with a human population of about 737,000.
Moose are not known to be particularly aggressive under normal circumstances but are extremely protective of their young if humans venture too close.
“Calving season for moose is the time when you definitely want to give them extra space,” McDaniel explains.
“Cow moose with calves are going to be some of the more aggressive moose you’re going to come in contact with.”
Image credits: Header photo via Facebook.