Moose Kills Alaska Man

An Alaska man’s attempt to take pictures of two newborn moose calves turned fatal Sunday morning, when the calves’ mother attacked the 70-year-old, killing him. Dale Chorman of Homer was with a second unidentified man when they came upon the animals in the brush, a spokesperson for the state’s Department of Public Safety says. Chorman was attacked as the two were running away, the AP reports. The cow moose charged the men and kicked Chorman, according to an official statement. He died on the scene, the Anchorage Daily News reports. The moose left the area, and the investigation is ongoing.

About 737,000 humans and 200,000 moose live in Alaska, and the animals can be aggressive if provoked—especially moms with babies. A 71-year-old man was stomped to death in 1995 after students reportedly harassed a moose and its calf for hours on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus; the man then tried to walk past the animals to enter a building. “Calving season for moose is the time when you definitely want to give them extra space,” the public safety spokesperson says. “Cow moose with calves are going to be some of the more aggressive moose you’re going to come in contact with.” (More Alaska stories.)