Charges of harassing wildlife are possible after a man jumped on a moose's back in a video apparently taken in northern B.C.
The footage shows a group of men on a boat chasing a moose in what is believed to be Tuchodi Lakes, located about 125 kilometres from Fort Nelson, reported Global News.
The boat approaches the animal and a man jumps on its back, riding with his fist raised in the air for about 20 seconds before he falls into the water.
Other men can be heard laughing in the background.
The video was posted to YouTube on Saturday by Wolftracker TV, a channel for Wolf Tracker BC which aims for "responsible, legal predator control" throughout the province.
Describing the moose rider as a "moron," Wolftracker TV said the video was reported to the province's Conservation Officer Service.
The agency's Sgt. David Vince told Global News that the video is believed to have been filmed last fall, reported Global. He also told Buzzfeed Canada that the public has forwarded names of people who might be in the footage.
"Basically the offence is harassing wildlife," Vince said in a Global interview. "That clearly is harassing wildlife, chasing it with a jet boat and then jumping on its back. You could just see the fear in the animal's eyes there."
B.C.'s Wildlife Act states that anyone who harasses wildlife with a boat, motor vehicle, aircraft or "other mechanical device" could be subject to a fine of up to $100,000 if convicted.
In 2013, two men were fined a total of $2,500 after one of them reportedly jumped out of a boat and onto the back of a cow moose in Eagle Lake in Dryden, Ont.
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