A 70-year-old man, Dale Chorman, was killed by a cow moose after attempting to photograph the animal and its newborn calves near his home in southern Alaska on Sunday, authorities reported.
Chorman and a friend encountered the female moose and her two newborn calves in Homer, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety. “Dale was with another adult male and they were attempting to take photos of two newborn moose calves when the cow moose attacked Dale,” said agency spokesperson Austin McDaniel in an email to CNN.
Initial reports indicate the moose charged at the two men and kicked Chorman, while the other man escaped unharmed. Chorman’s body has been sent to the Alaska State Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.
Chorman’s family remembers him as a loving father, husband, and friend. They emphasize that the moose should not be blamed for the incident. “The moose, obviously, is not at fault. To the concerned neighbors, I say — quell your primate spear rattling. The ungulate mother need not die. She was just protecting her offspring,” wrote Chorman’s son, Nathan Chorman, in a statement to CNN affiliate KTUU.
According to his family, Chorman was experienced with wildlife and had noted the previous day that the thick brush made it easy to accidentally encounter a wild animal. “I’m sure Dale was surprised too. On a given day, nobody expects to die on their own property doing something routine, even when the routine is fairly dangerous. But he would have accepted this outcome,” Nathan’s statement reads.
“A small adult female moose can weigh up to 800 pounds and be up to 6 feet tall,” according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Cow moose with calves are known to fiercely defend their young from perceived threats. “Cow moose with calves are known to be relentless in their efforts to defend their calves from perceived threats,” McDaniel stated. “The Alaska wildlife troopers encourage Alaskans to not approach moose calves to take photos or attempt to pet them as there is likely a cow moose nearby.”
Homer is located approximately 220 miles south of Anchorage on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula.