A Homer, Alaska, man died Monday after being attacked by a moose. The man was attempting to snap a picture of her calves.

Just before noon, the adult female moose charged two men, kicking Dale Chorman, 70, to death.

“As they were walking through the brush looking for the moose, that’s when the cow moose attacked Dale,” Alaska State Troopers spokesman Austin McDaniel told The Associated Press.

Mr. Chorman was dead by the time medics arrived, AST said in a release, and the moose cow had left the area.

The incident took place on Mr. Chorman’s property after he and an unnamed companion set out to find one of several moose giving birth in the region.

Mr. Chorman was a wildlife photographer and naturalist, his friend Tom Kizzia told the Homer News, adding that the moose “was just doing what she needed to do. … Dale would have been the first to understand that.”

In a statement, Mr. Chorman’s son emphasized that the moose doesn’t need to be killed in retribution for the incident.

“The moose, obviously, is not at fault. To the concerned neighbors, I say — quell your primate spear rattling. The ungulate mother need not die. She was just protecting her offspring,” Nathan Chorman said, according to Anchorage NBC affiliate KTUU-TV.

Like many animal mothers, moose cows become much more aggressive than usual in perceived defense of their offspring.

“Calving season for moose is the time when you definitely want to give them extra space. Cow moose with calves are going to be some of the more aggressive moose you’re going to come in contact with,” Mr. McDaniel told AP.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.