A man attempting to photograph moose calves was killed by their mother over the weekend, authorities in Alaska said Monday.
Dale Chorman, 70, was hiking about 100 yards from his home on Sunday looking for the newborns when the moose charged, Alaska Department of Public Safety spokesperson Austin McDaniel told the Anchorage Daily News.
“As they were walking through the brush looking for the moose, that’s when the cow moose attacked Dale,” Austin said.
“The cow moose charged two men, kicking one of them,” Alaska State Troopers said in a release. “Medics arrived on the scene and declared the victim deceased.”
Chorman had already photographed the birth itself and had invited his friend along as he tried to do the same for the calves, a friend told KTUU-TV.
“As they were approaching the area suddenly the moose came crashing out from wherever it was — they hadn’t seen it — on the attack,” Chroman’s friend Tim Kizzia said. “And they turned to run, and his friend looked back and saw that Dale was already on the ground and the moose was standing over Dale.”
The moose left the area with her calves by the time help arrived, Alaska State Troopers said. The friend was not injured, and police did not publicly identify him.
Chorman was a naturalist, bear guide, carpenter and builder who had lived in Homer for decades, the Anchorage Daily News said. He was also an avid and locally known wildlife photographer.
“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 KTUU-TV. “This was his favorite thing to do…. Dale was highly experienced around wildlife. He was intimately familiar with nature and had no naivete 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.”
Spence-Chorman added that the moose “was just protecting her offspring.”
With News Wire Services
