The population of Timmins, in northern Ontario, Canada, exchanged stories of a population of white moose occasionally spotted in the poplar and pine forests, and according to the laws of the region, white moose cannot be hunted.
Local indigenous culture considers white animals to be sacred and lucky. The white moose is not an albino animal, its color comes from a recessive gene, so these animals are extremely rare. Mark Clement, a photographer from the region, has spotted several moose over the years. It has knowledge of at least four and estimates that there may be up to 30 spread across the region.
“I’m sad that someone took such a beautiful animal,” said Troy Woodhouse, a member of the Flying Post First Nation indigenous community, quoted by The Guardian. “Nobody knows exactly how many there are currently in the area, so the loss of a single moose is already too much.”
However, according to the publication, in addition to the white moose, poachers are said to have executed two females, whose remains were abandoned on a road far from their home. habitat.
The crime is currently being investigated by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests. In addition, there is already a reward of eight thousand dollars (about 6,743 euros) for anyone who can help detain the poachers responsible for these deaths.
The reward comes from Troy Woodhouse, a drilling company and an animal welfare association.
Although these white moose have been sighted for over 40 years, only in the last decade have they been covered by legal protections.
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