Family says Homer photographer killed in moose attack knew the risks, died doing what he loved

This 2021 photograph provided by Gerri Martin shows Dale and Dianne Chorman pinch nan Matanuska Glacier down them, adjacent Palmer, Alaska. (Gerri Martin via AP)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The family of an Alaska man fatally attacked by an enraged moose trying to protect her newborn copy calves said he was a quality photographer who knew nan risks of taking photos successful nan chaotic and died doing what he loved.

Even though location person been immoderate calls for nan moose to beryllium killed, Dale Chorman’s family does not want nan moose put down because she was only protecting her calves.

Chorman, 70, and a friend were attempting to find nan moose and calves to photograph them Sunday erstwhile nan moose came charging retired of nan brush, said Chorman’s friend, Tom Kizzia, a Homer, Alaska, writer and journalist.

“They some turned to run, and nan friend looked backmost and saw Dale lying connected nan crushed pinch nan moose opinionated complete him,” Kizzia told The Associated Press by phone.

“There was nary evident trampling, and they didn’t spot immoderate signs of trauma later erstwhile they recovered his body,” he said. “I deliberation nan aesculapian examiner’s going to effort to fig retired precisely what happened, whether it was conscionable azygous rustle successful nan unspeakable incorrect spot aliases something.”

The friend sought help, and by nan clip medics arrived, Kizzia said nan moose had faded backmost into nan woods.

Chorman’s son, Nate Spence-Chorman, posted connected societal media that Dale was “a loving hubby to Dianne, a awesome begetter to maine and (as you know) a awesome friend to many.”

The fatal onslaught occurred connected Chorman’s 3-acre spot conscionable eastbound of Homer, wherever each outpouring moose springiness commencement successful a dense scrub wood of alder and elderberry.

Chorman was a builder and carpenter by trade, but besides loved being astir wildlife. He was a naturalist, an avid birder and a wildlife guideline who loved sharing his photos.

“This was not a hapless fool stumbling into threat — this was a personification who went retired looking for a awesome photo, knowing nan risks, and sewage caught successful a vulnerable moment,” his boy wrote.

The moose should not beryllium killed, Spence-Chorman wrote. “The ungulate mother request not die. She was conscionable protecting her offspring.”

Even though nan decease was tragic, Spence-Chorman said his begetter would person accepted this outcome.

“The truth is, he died doing what he loved,” he wrote.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game usually receives reports of fierce aliases different moose behavior, said Cyndi Wardlow, a location supervisor successful nan Department of Wildlife Conservation.

“In this case, we’re evidently very concerned astir nationalist safety,” she said.

“If location was an animal that was behaving successful a measurement that continued to coming a nationalist information threat, past we could perchance put that animal down but we’re not specifically pursuing that course,” she said.

Wardlow encouraged everyone, including nan galore summertime visitors conscionable opening to get successful Alaska, to beryllium alert of wildlife and their surroundings.

In nan lawsuit of moose, nan largest successful nan cervid family, mini big females tin measurement up to 800 pounds pinch males doubly that. They tin besides guidelines up to 6 feet gangly astatine nan shoulder.

It’s estimated location are up to 200,000 moose successful Alaska.

This is nan 2nd fatal moose onslaught successful Alaska successful nan past 3 decades.

In 1995, a moose stomped a 71-year-old man to decease erstwhile he was trying to participate a building connected nan field of nan University of Alaska Anchorage. Witnesses said students had been throwing snowballs and harassing nan moose and its calf for hours, and nan animals were agitated erstwhile nan man tried to locomotion past them.

Dale Chorman grew up successful Painesville, Ohio, but hitchhiked to Alaska successful nan 1980s, his boy said successful an email to nan AP. He was well-traveled, spending clip crossed nan Americas, Europe, Asia and visited Antarctica.

He met his wife, Dianne, erstwhile she came to Alaska to position bears and he was guiding astatine a adjacent stream lodge.

Chorman’s master guiding activity was chiefly focused connected brownish carnivore photography, but he was passionate astir each wildlife, particularly birds, his boy said. He could place galore type of birds by their calls unsocial and sometimes taught “birding by ear” classes successful Homer.

Homer is located connected Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula, astir 220 miles southbound of Anchorage.