Mother moose kills photographer trying to take pictures of her newborn calves
An elderly photographer trying to take pictures of two newborn calves was fatally attacked by its mother.
The cow moose ‘charged two men, kicking one of them’ in Homer on Sunday, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety.
Medics arrived at the scene shortly before noon and pronounced dead the man who was kicked by the animal.
The victim has been identified as Dale Chorman, 70, of Homer.
‘As they were walking through the brush looking for the moose, that’s when the cow moose attacked Dale,’ said department spokesperson Austin McDaniel.
State troopers and Alaska Wildlife troopers from Anchor Point responded to the scene.
The cow moose left the area and an investigation into the attack is ongoing.
Chorman’s friend, Homer journalist Tom Kizzia, said the victim and his friend were trying to find the moose and calves to photograph them.
‘They both turned to run, and the friend looked back and saw Dale lying on the ground with the moose standing over him,’ said Kizzia.
‘There was no evident trampling, and they didn’t see any signs of trauma later when they recovered his body.
‘I think the medical examiner’s going to try to figure out exactly what happened, whether it was just single blow in the terrible wrong place or something.’
Chorman was a builder and carpenter, but also a naturalist, wildlife guide and birder. He was ‘a loving husband to Dianne, a great father to me and (as you know) a fantastic friend to many’, wrote his son, Nate Spence-Chorman, on social media.
‘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,’ wrote Spence Chorman.
Chorman’s son added: ‘The ungulate mother need not die. She was just protecting her offspring.’
The photographer was killed on his three-acre property which is just east of Homer. Homer is more than 200 miles southwest of Anchorage.
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