Stories2 min(s) read
Published 11:19 17 Nov 2020 GMT
An indigenous community in northern Ontario, Canada, has been left outraged over the killing of a rare "spirit" white moose, The Guardian reports.
For many in the community, white animals - which often get their color from a recessive gene - are regarded as sacred.
In fact, per The Guardian, one man from the indigenous First Nation community has offered an award to anyone who has information that will help the authorities find the suspected poachers.
"It saddens me that somebody would take such a beautiful animal," said Flying Post community member Troy Woodhouse. "Nobody knows exactly how many are in the area, so the loss of a single spirit moose is one too many."
Woodhouse is offering a reward of C$1,000 ($760).
"I'm a proud Flying Post First Nation member and I just wanted to help any way I could," he added. "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."
Among the recently killed moose are two females including a white cow. The creatures' remains, including their heads, were left near a remote service road.
"Everybody is outraged and sad. Why would you shoot it? No one needs one that bad," said Chief Murray Ray of Flying Post First Nation.
"If you have a license to shoot a cow moose, you could shoot another one. Just leave the white ones alone," he added.
The white moose have reportedly been seen in the region for over 40 years but only in the last 10 years or so did the striking animals receive protection from the law.
Indeed, there are now signs in the area warning poachers and hunters against killing them - no other region in Canada has such legal protections.
Wildlife officials are asking members of the public to share any information they have that could lead to charges.
In light of Woodhouse's offer of a reward for helping find the alleged poachers, a local drilling firm is offering the same reward. In addition, an animal welfare organization is offering C$5,000.
"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," said Woodhouse.
"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," he added.
