Wildlife troopers in Alaska have had to kill a moose which had become too comfortable around people after a woman posted a live video on Facebook that showed herself feeding and petting the animal.
Alaska State Troopers said the juvenile male moose had grown too used to people after the incident, meaning it posed a public safety risk.
The video was posted on Saturday (30 January) by a woman named Angel Bunch, 43.
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The footage, which had been shared publicly, was sent to Matanuska-Susitna Valley trooper dispatch by another citizen, spokesman Austin McDaniel explained.
McDaniel said the video showed Bunch feeding the moose carrots and petting it from the doorway of her home.
However, the clip now appears to have been deleted.
Bunch received a misdemeanour citation for negligently feeding game, with her bail set at $320 (£230) in Palmer District Court.
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The Alaska Department of Public Safety said: "On 1-30-2021, the Alaska Wildlife Troopers received a report that an individual had posted Facebook live videos of herself feeding carrots to a moose that she was also touching and petting.
"Angel Bunch, age 43 of Palmer, was subsequently contacted and issued a citation for negligently feeding game. Bail was set at $320 in Palmer District Court.
"The moose had become habituated with people to point where it was a hazard to public safety so it was dispatched and donated to charity."
Speaking to the Anchorage Daily News, McDaniel said: "When Alaska Wildlife Troopers responded to Bunch's residence the moose showed no apparent fear of humans and walked up to the Wildlife Trooper when he arrived.
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"This moose appeared thin and showed signs that it had been fed by humans for some time."
McDaniel said troopers determined the moose could become a danger to the public, as it was now so comfortable around humans.
He added: "When humans feed wildlife it causes them to stop searching and feeding on their own in nature and rely solely on humans for food.
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"When their human food source stops the animal can become aggressive towards other humans as it looks for food from them."
While there were no reports of any issues with the moose in the area, troopers eventually decided to kill the moose to avoid a potential public safety risk, and McDaniel said the meat was donated to charity.
"Troopers take great care in making decisions to dispatch any big game animal and do so when it becomes a matter of public safety," he said.
McDaniel said calls about people negligently feeding wildlife are fairly common in the Matanuska-Susitna and Anchorage areas, and that many of these encounters end in death for the animals.
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According to Anchorage Daily News, similar citations have been issued to people whose unsecured rubbish has attracted bears, while one man was cited for feeding a moose cabbage at his home in 2014.
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