Moose kills US man trying to photograph its calves

An Alaskan man has been killed by a moose that charged suddenly while he was trying to take photographs of its two calves.

Dale Chorman, 70, was caught off guard as the animal attacked on his property in the town of Homer.

Mr Chorman died at the scene.

His son said he realised the moose was protecting its offspring and did not want the animal killed.

A friend who was with Mr Chorman, who has not been identified, was unharmed.

The Alaska Department of Public Safety told the BBC that Mr Chorman had been looking for the moose and calves on his property to photograph them.

Tim Kizzia, another friend of the victim, said the moose came "suddenly... crashing out" and caught Mr Chorman off guard.

“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,” he told the Alaska News Service.

Medics pronounced Mr Chorman dead at the scene on Sunday. The moose and its calves had left the area.

His son, Nathan Spence-Chorman, said his family did not want the animal to be put down.

"[Dale] 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," he said on social media.

“The moose, obviously, is not at fault. She was just protecting her offspring."

Moose attacks are rare but the animals can become aggressive if provoked.

A cow moose is typically very protective of its young and will attack if a human gets too close, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's website.

Moose calving season runs from mid-May to mid-June, ADFG says.

Wildlife officials believe the animals may be more irritable this year as record levels of snowfall have made it harder to find food.

Moose are the largest of the deer family and the Alaska moose is the largest of its kind.

It can grow to nearly six feet (182cm) tall and females can be as heavy as 57 stone (362kg).

About 175,000 to 200,000 live in the state, which has a human population of about 737,000.

At least three men have been injured in run-ins with moose over the past six months.

In 1995, a moose stomped a passer-by to death on the campus of the University of Alaska Anchorage after students reportedly harassed the animal and its calf for hours with snowballs.