Boater tried to climb aboard swimming moose
The Chronicle-Journal
A man from Dryden and another from Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., have been fined a total of $2,500 after the Ministry of Natural Resources received complaints about boaters harassing a cow moose.
Court heard that Dryden District conservation officers responded to public complaints on July 29 of people harassing a moose with their boat in Outlet Bay on Eagle Lake west of the city. Several witnesses provided evidence to the officers, including a video showing a boat circling a swimming moose.
After circling the moose, the boat went to shore and returned shortly after with three other adult passengers. The boat repeatedly drove in tight circles around the moose, preventing it from going to shore.
One of the men even jumped out of the boat and onto the back of the moose, court was told.
A boat owned and operated by one of the men was seized, but will be returned once the fines are paid, the ministry said.
The MNR says Ontario’s moose populations are carefully managed and subject to restrictions on harvest. Some of these populations are under pressure across Northwestern Ontario for a variety of reasons.
As prey animals, moose are biologically programmed to fear and will attempt to escape from predators, including humans. Inability to escape a predator can cause moose extreme physical exhaustion and stress, and even death, the ministry said.
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Originally Posted by deebakes
