Dale Chorman, Homer, Alaska photographer killed by mother moose trying to take photos of her calves following recent birth of the wild animals.
It was a photographer’s dream moment… only to lead to tragedy.
A 70-year-old Alaska photographer who happened upon two newborn moose calves was attacked and killed by their mother, as the man sought to take photos of the newly born wild animals.
Dale Chorman of Homer was killed when the mother moose suddenly lept out of the brushes and attacked the unwitting photographer.
Mother moose defends her newborn calves
The female moose had recently given birth to the calves in Homer when Chorman had brought a friend along with him to take photos just before noon on Sunday according to Alaskas News Source.
‘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 explained.
The attack happened as the two men were running away, he said.
The second man, who has not been publicly identified, was uninjured.
That person did not witness the attack, so authorities cannot say if the moose killed Chorman by kicking or stomping him, or a combination.
‘As they were approaching the area suddenly the moose came crashing out from wherever it was they hadn’t seen it, on the attack,’ Tim Kizzia, a friend of Chorman’s, 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.’
Medics pronounced Chorman dead at the scene. The cow moose left the area, Alaska State Troopers said.
‘The family has encouraged everyone not to do anything to the mom,’ Kizzia said. ‘She was just defending new born twins acting in a way that Dale would totally have understood and anticipated.’
Moose calving season runs from mid-May to mid-June, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
There are up to 200,000 moose in Alaska, a state with a human population of about 737,000.
Cow moose will protect her young at any cost
The animals are not normally aggressive, but can become so if provoked, according to the state Department of Fish and Game’s website.
A cow moose will become very protective over young calves and will attack humans who come too close, the department says.
‘Calving season for moose is the time when you definitely want to give them extra space,’ McDaniel said. ‘Cow moose with calves are going to be some of the more aggressive moose you’re going to come in contact with.’
People should not spook the animals or get between a mother and her calves, he said.
‘Those moose will become unpredictable and work to protect their calves at any cost,’ McDaniel said.
Wildlife officials tell people to look for signs that moose are upset.
‘Hackles on the back of their neck standing straight up, the ears pinned back against the head and the moose is licking their lips,’ Cory Stantorf, a biologist with the Alaska Department Fish and Game, said. ‘Those are all signs that the moose is agitated and you are too close.’
Fish and Game says moose are especially irritated this year because of the record snowfall, which makes it extra difficult to find food.
The largest of the deer family, a small adult female moose can weigh up to 800 pounds, while a large adult male can weigh twice that, according to Fish and Game. The animals typically don’t live beyond 16 years.
Moose can stand almost 6 feet tall.
