An unfortunate series of events led to the death of a moose in Vermont over the weekend. The incident with the moose began when bystanders tried to take pictures of the wild animal and got too close to it. The moose felt crowded and retreated into the nearby water.
Officials confirmed the moose had just swum across Lake Champlain from New York to South Hero, Vermont Saturday and it was in an exhausted state.
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When people began crowding the moose and taking photographs, it felt forced back into the water where it became exhausted and drowned. Fish and Wildlife Warden Robert Currier said he arrived just before the moose drowned and was removed from the lake.
"It was struggling pretty good at that point. We were waiting for a boat to respond to try to assist it, but before the boat arrived, it had drowned," Currier said. "It was really rough out there, probably 4- to 5-foot swells and high wind." He added that the scene unfolded near a bike path that is a popular route for touring cyclists.
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Currier says it isn't uncommon for moose to react by leaving an area or even by becoming aggressive. "I would advise the public to keep their distance from the animal, give it a lot of space and notify the Department of Fish and Wildlife," Currier said.
Social media users were not pleased with the events that led to the moose's demise.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">So tragic.<br>Moose that swam to Vermont drowns after crowd gathers for photos <a href="https://t.co/o7aHtD770s">https://t.co/o7aHtD770s</a></p>— Simon Levy (@cyartes) <a href="https://twitter.com/cyartes/status/1036728299471482881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Disgusting!<br>Poor animal. Those people should be prosecuted <br><br>Crowded by onlookers on shore, moose drowns in Vermont lake <a href="https://t.co/wzc7T7yPSk">https://t.co/wzc7T7yPSk</a></p>— Cappy (@capseyes_cappy) <a href="https://twitter.com/capseyes_cappy/status/1036728169162854406?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Leave the Moose the hell alone. If you can't stand 100 ft back for the photo. Our Moose aren't seen often and the his one is seen and now it's dead. It died a slow and sad death. I hope those crappy photos were worth it, Moose killers. <a href="https://t.co/zfuJRMBhg0">https://t.co/zfuJRMBhg0</a></p>— Rachael Alexandra (@EyeDelights) <a href="https://twitter.com/EyeDelights/status/1036739494320451585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Moose drowns after tourists taking photos force it into a lake <a href="https://t.co/cfn7MCqKUe">https://t.co/cfn7MCqKUe</a> Just wow. People really need to stop stalking everything w/their cell phones. Poor moose!</p>— sarah birrelle (@SBirrelle) <a href="https://twitter.com/SBirrelle/status/1036739469574066176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Idiots….
More people are killed by Moose's in the USA than Bears, or any other 4 legged mammals.