A moose-chasing snowboarder posted a video of his encounter to Facebook last month and earned himself a fine for harassing wild animals from the US Forest Service.
The video was posted by Montana residents Charlie Rush and Hunter Lamoureux, who went snowboarding at Whitefish Mountain Resort in December when they came upon a moose standing in the middle of the trail. The moose refused to budge, so the snowboarders did.
Rush went first, setting the moose galloping down the trail in front of him, according to the Missoulian. Lamourex was behind, shooting video for almost a minute. He later posted it to Facebook with the caption, “Just chasing a moose while snowboarding … no big deal.”
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Unfortunately, it was. Rush was issued a citation by the US Forest Service and fined $225 for violating a federal regulation that prohibits molesting wildlife. Flathead National Forest spokesman Wade Muehlhof explained, “It’s one of the tools, especially with the video going viral, that law enforcement has to reinforce the educational message that people should not engage wildlife. They should have kept their distance.”
Rush has indicated that he might contest the citation. Meanwhile, Lamoureux took to Facebook again to defend the video.
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While he may contest the citation, Rush and Lamoureux will almost certainly leave the moose alone next time.
[Image: ucumari]
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