Moose attacks and kills man, 70, as he tried to take photographs of her newborn calves as his son pays tribute to 'loving husband and great father'
- Dale Chorman, 70, was killed during a moose attack in Homer, Alaska on Sunday
An Alaska man was attacked and killed by a moose while trying to take photographs of her two newborn calves.
Dale Chorman, 70, was killed in Homer, a small city on Kachemak Bay in Alaska's Kenai Peninsula, on Sunday when a cow moose charged at him and a friend.
The female moose, who had recently given birth to the calves, is believed to have kicked or stomped Chroman as the pair were running away, state troopers said.
The second man, who has not been publicly identified, was uninjured.
His grieving son Nathan, in a heartfelt tribute, hailed Chorman for being a 'loving husband, great father, and fantastic friend to family'.
The family is also urging people not to harm the moose, claiming that she was 'defending' her calves and 'acting in a way that Dale would totally have understood and anticipated'.
Dale Chorman, 70, was killed in in Homer, Alaska - a small city on Kachemak Bay in the Kenai Peninsula - on Sunday when a cow moose charged at him and a friend
Chorman, pictured with his wife Dianne, was attacked and killed by a cow moose while trying to take photographs of her two newborn calves
The female moose, who had recently given birth to the calves in Homer (pictured), is believed to have kicked or stomped Chroman as the pair were running away, state troopers said
Alaska State Troopers were called to the scene around 11.52am Sunday after receiving reports that a cow moose had charged two men in Homer.
Chorman, a well-known photographer in his community, had reportedly witnessed the cow moose giving birth and was so delighted by the experience that he brought a friend to the area in hopes of finding the cow and taking more pictures.
He and his friend had been walking through the brush and looking for the moose, when the mother launched her attack, the Alaska Department of Public Safety confirmed.
'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, told KTUU.
'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.
Authorities know the attack happened as the pair were trying to flee the area, but Chorman's companion did not witness the attack, so they cannot say if the moose killed him by kicking or stomping him, or a combination.
Nathan Chorman, in a statement to the TV station, said his father was a great man and 'in the running for my favorite character in this whole human drama'.
'We loved him. We love him,' he wrote of Chorman, adding that he knew the community really 'loved his photos over the years' and that 'he loved sharing them with you'.
The cow moose had left the area by the state troopers arrived to the scene and his family now hopes that no one finds her.
Kizzia said the family has 'encouraged everyone not to do anything to the mom', claiming that she reacted in a way Chorman would have expected.
There are up to 200,000 moose in Alaska, a state with a human population of about 737,000.
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.
His grieving son Nathan, in a heartfelt tribute, hailed Chorman (pictured) for being a 'loving husband, great father, and fantastic friend to family'. The family is also urging people not to harm the moose, claiming that she was 'defending' her calves and 'acting in a way that Dale would totally have understood and anticipated'
Chorman, (pictured during a fishing trip) was a well-known photographer in his community and had reportedly witnessed the cow moose giving birth. He was so delighted by the experience that he returned to the area to snap more pictures
'Calving season for moose is the time when you definitely want to give them extra space,' said Austin McDaniel, spokesman for the Alaska Department of Public Safety.
'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, adding: 'Those moose will become unpredictable and work to protect their calves at any cost.'
The largest of the deer family, a small adult female moose can weigh up to 800 pounds (363 kilograms), while a large adult male can weigh twice that, according to Fish and Game. The animals can stand almost 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall.
In 1995, a moose stomped a 71-year-old man to death when he was trying to enter a building on the campus of the University of Alaska Anchorage.
Witnesses said students had been throwing snowballs and harassing the moose and its calf for hours, and the animals were agitated when the man tried to walk past them.