Rare Secret White 'Spirit Moose' Is Killed By Hunters

A rare white 'spirit' moose has been killed in Canada, leaving local residents so outraged that they have put up a reward to find the poachers.

The community of Timmins, in northern Ontario, is hoping to help officials to find the suspect after the bodies of two female moose - one a rare white one - were found discarded on a remote road.

The creatures carry spiritual significance for many in the area, and are seen as sacred.

Chief Murray Ray of nearby Flying Post First Nation told The Guardian: "Everybody is outraged and sad. Why would you shoot it? No one needs one that bad.

"If you have a license to shoot a cow moose, you could shoot another one. Just leave the white ones alone."

Mark Clement/clementphotography.ca

Troy Woodhouse, also of Flying Post, has offered up a reward to help find the perpetrators.

He told the newspaper: "It saddens me that somebody would take such a beautiful animal.

"Nobody knows exactly how many are in the area, so the loss of a single spirit moose is one too many."

Although he has since moved away, he and his wife saw one of the creatures while they were out fishing in Groundhog River.

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The couple watched a young white bull moose standing by where Troy's grandfather used to live.

He added: "It was a sign that he's watching over us on the land. It was very special to me."

The public has been urged by wildlife officials to come forward with any information on the moose, which could lead to charges.

As an incentive, Crime Stoppers has offered up CAD $2,000 (£1,160) for any tips that lead to the conviction.

Troy, meanwhile, has offered up CAD $1,000 (£580).

He said: "I'm a proud Flying Post First Nation member and I just wanted to help any way I could.

"Since I'm so far away, I thought I could donate some money to help bring more awareness and encourage others to voice their concerns."

Lasse Dybdahl (Creative Commons)

And he's not the only one - a local drilling company has offered up the same as Troy, while an animal welfare group has offered CAD $5,000 (£2,900) bringing the total to CAD $8,000 (£4,600).

Troy added: "Maybe hunters tried to get one moose and got the other by accident. If a person does come forward and admit what they did, I would put my portion towards any of their legal fees.

"There's so much negativity in the world today. It's nice to just see some people banding together and trying to turn this into something positive."

Topics: World News, Animals, Canada

Amelia Ward

Amelia is a journalist at LADbible. After studying journalism at Liverpool John Moores and Salford Uni (don't ask), she went into PR and then the world of music. She spent a few years working on festivals and events before joining LADbible. In her spare time, Amelia likes music and spending good, quality time with her cat, Paul. You can contact Amelia at [email protected].

@ameliasward