Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/moose-killed-after-woman-feeds-it/
After a juvenile male moose grew comfortable being around people, wildlife troopers in Alaska felt that the animal posed a threat to public safety. They felt that had no choice but to kill the animal after footage on Facebook surfaced of a woman feeding and petting the moose.
The Facebook live video was posted on January 30th, and showed 43-year-old Angel Bunch in the doorway of her house giving the moose carrots before petting him.
The video has since been deleted, but prior to the deletion, the video had been brought to the attention of the Matanuska-Susitna Valley trooper dispatch by a concerned citizen.
According to a daily dispatch report, Bunch was issued a misdemeanor citation for negligently feeding game. As a result, her bail was set at $320 within the Palmer District Court.
The Alaska Department of Public Safety explained, “The moose had become habituated with people to point where it was a hazard to public safety so it was dispatched and donated to charity.”
Article continues below
Our Featured Programs
See how we’re making a difference for People, Pets, and the Planet and how you can get involved!
As spokesperson Austin McDaniel shared to Anchorage Daily News, when the troopers showed up to Bunch’s home, the moose showed absolutely no fear – he even walked straight up to the responding troopers.
McDaniel added that the animal was skinny and “showed signs that it had been fed by humans for some time.” As a result, the troopers felt that it could no longer be trusted and would pose a threat to public safety having lost all its fear of humans.
Hopefully this will serve as a reminder to people to let wildlife be – they’re wild animals, not pets. They are powerful animals and need to be respected as such.
Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog
