A video of a man jumping on the back of a moose as it tried to cross a river has surfaced online prompting conservation officers in British Columbia to investigate – and animal lovers to howl in disgust.
The video, which was posted to YouTube on Saturday, shows a group of men in a motorboat chase a moose through a water body in a mountain range. A shirtless man stands at the front of the boat as the animal wades through the water.
When the boat gets close enough, the shirtless man leaps onto the back of the animal.
And, then rides it for a few moments.
Before falling off into the water while the others in the boat laugh.
“I’ve never seen nothing so awesome,” one man says.
The video, which was posted by Wolf Tracker BC, a hunting group, has already been viewed more than 400,000 times.
“This moron is going to be charged with harassing wildlife,” Wolf Tracker notes. “This is what NOT to do.”
And yes, the group adds, the incident has been reported to conservation officers.
Provincial officials in Fort St. John, B.C. said they have received a number of complaints about the video, but told CTV on Monday that “it doesn’t look like this video was taken this year.”
Wildlife harassment is an offence. The fine depends on the judge. Sadly, there is precedent for such cases.
In 2013, two boaters were fined in a similar incident in central Canada. The two men circled their boat around a moose as it was swimming in a northwestern Ontario lake. One man jumped on its back. They were fined $2,500.
Photos Wolf Tracker BC/YouTube
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