Alaska DPS Officer killed by Musk Ox (Nome, Chitina: condo, living in)

[ketchikanite]

This is such a tragedy. Prayers of peace and comfort for his family.

https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2022...sk-ox-in-nome/

[Zoisite]

That is tragic. Condolences to his family and colleagues. He was given a State Honor Procession on Wednesday. Here is an update to the story above with more information about the incident and his manner of death, (he was gored and received a fatal wound to the leg). The Musk Ox that attacked and killed him has been declared a hazard to community safety and will be dispatched.

https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2022...-state-honors/

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[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Zoisite

The Musk Ox that attacked and killed him has been declared a hazard to community safety and will be dispatched.

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[WhiteRaven70]

Just entered this forum to perhaps find contacts in the North,And the first thread I read is about this a tragic death. My condolences to his family, friends and comrades.


I am a wildlife preservation guy,but here I can understand, that the musk ox involved was put down. One can not say if its group had not wandered close to other resident's places and once again gotten into similar situations. It is the first time I would have heard of a musk ox attacking a person.



I can't say, what would lead this group of animals close to the dog's place in the first. Maybe they seek safety nearby settlements,like moose and deer do on occasion, outside of hunting season. Maybe they hope for minerals or just get nosy. Wanting to protect their young? Not in the initial cause, but I don't know what a distance there was between him and the animals, when that one charged.


I think we just need to do everything it takes to keep distance and also teach other people not to feed or otherwise habituate wildlife to people. The way it would be with bears. Don't get them used to have us close. Don't let them find a connection like "stay near people" and "safe spot" and the like.


Still, even then, such tragic incidents can happen and it is no one's fault. A man wanting to make sure his dog is safe. Nature's book of real life.


Regards,


Pit

[Northrick]

Originally Posted by WhiteRaven70

I can't say, what would lead this group of animals close to the dog's place in the first. Maybe they seek safety nearby settlements,like moose and deer do on occasion, outside of hunting season. Maybe they hope for minerals or just get nosy. Wanting to protect their young? Not in the initial cause, but I don't know what a distance there was between him and the animals, when that one charged.


I think we just need to do everything it takes to keep distance and also teach other people not to feed or otherwise habituate wildlife to people. The way it would be with bears. Don't get them used to have us close. Don't let them find a connection like "stay near people" and "safe spot" and the like.

It's Nome Alaska. There are musk ox around the area and they frequently come into town. They hate dogs. To me, it sounds like the guy got between the musk ox and his dog that it was trying to attack and he got a horn to leg. My guess, and that's all it is, is that the horn hit his femoral artery and he died from loss of blood. Musk ox are normally skittish around people.


A picture I took just outside of Nome last spring.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by Northrick

......... Musk ox are normally skittish around people...........

Skittish or not, they are large, strong, wild animals and common sense says to respect them and keep well away from them.

My sympathy for the family of this man.

[johnsonkk]

Good thing there ar no buffalo in Alaska. South Dakota and Wyoming have problems with people trying to pet them.

[Northrick]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

Skittish or not, they are large, strong, wild animals and common sense says to respect them and keep well away from them.

My sympathy for the family of this man.

It sounds like the guy was trying to protect his dog and probably acted out of reflex. Not someone just being stupid.



Musk ox really aren't that big and while they certainly could land you in the hospital, I don't think they'd normally be able to kill an adult human. I think this was a freak occurrence.

[Northrick]

Originally Posted by johnsonkk

Good thing there ar no buffalo in Alaska. South Dakota and Wyoming have problems with people trying to pet them.

You got bad information, Alaska has buffalo (bison). There are plains bison around Delta, Fairwell, and along the Chitina River. There is also an introduced heard of wood bison along the Innoko River. These areas are not National Parks and not frequented by tourists. So there's that.

[WhiteRaven70]

Originally Posted by Northrick

It's Nome Alaska. There are musk ox around the area and they frequently come into town. They hate dogs. To me, it sounds like the guy got between the musk ox and his dog that it was trying to attack and he got a horn to leg. My guess, and that's all it is, is that the horn hit his femoral artery and he died from loss of blood. Musk ox are normally skittish around people.


A picture I took just outside of Nome last spring.

Thank you @ Northrick for the insight. Figured similar on death after blood loss, didn't want to write that down, as family members could be reading here, and Christmas without him would be tough enough, eh.
So the musk oxen wandering through town is the usual up there.
Freak accidents do occur. It was not my intend to indicate him having done other than to defend his dog.



Wood bison should be in Alaska, yep. I never saw them turn around at the border, when living in the Yukon.



@johnsonkk :People trying to pet wild bison in Wyoming - I certainly would hope fish & game would educate to prevent this. Many modern people lost proper respects toward wildlife. Not everyone, yet those growing up in larger cities or dense populated areas. Then, there are certain nature romanticized, sorta 'treadwellesque' Characters .. we all remember well how this went down.