Alaska state trooper killed in muskox attack outside his home: 'Tragic loss for our state'

Fox com ^ | 12/14/22 | Fox News

[KierkegaardMAN]

Officer Curtis Worland, a court services officer with the Alaska State Troopers, died Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022, after he was attacked by a muskox outside his home. (Alaska State Troopers)

A state trooper in Alaska died Tuesday afternoon from a wild animal attack outside his home.We are deeply saddened to report that one of our own, Court Services Officer Curtis Worland, was tragically killed during a muskox attack near Nome earlier today. CSO Worland was attempting to haze a group of muskox near his dog kennel at his home when he was attacked and fatally injured by a muskox.

[aklurker]

Having spent some time in Nome over the years of living and working in Alaska, the Muskox numbers seemed to grow and they roamed closer and closer to town. Hazing I would imagine would be using pepper spray, or firing shotgun cracker shots to move them out of an area you don't want them in. I usually only saw them when driving on one of the three roads that head out of town to Teller, Council, or a reindeer corral out on the Kougaruk road.

[Larry Lucido]

Tourist: Look! A bunch of oxen.
Cowboy: Not “bunch”—“herd.”
Tourist: Heard what?
Cowboy: Herd of oxen.
Tourist: Sure, I’ve heard of oxen.
Cowboy: No, an oxen herd.
Tourist: That’s OK. I have no secrets to keep from oxen!

[pas]

List of things that do not get rid of a group of muskox. Saying shoo. Waving arms and saying shoo also does not work.

[zeestephen]

Not more than a month ago I saw some amazing film of muskox in Lapland, which is the northern most land area of Norway, Sweden, and Finland.

When winter becomes very severe, they group up in almost a perfect circle. The healthiest and most fit create the outside perimeter of the circle, with one of their sides exposed to the weather, while the youngsters and the elders and the less robust are all packed into the center of the circle, with 360 degree protection from the wind.

They go into a state of low level standing hibernation and sometimes do not move for several days!

I have no idea how they find food when there is several feet of snow on the ground.

Completely amazing how life adapts to even the most dangerous challenges.

[faucetman]

A guy on “Alone” jumped on a Muskox and stabbed it to death, for food. He ended up winning.

[Chickensoup]

Really?

[kiryandil]

Don’t pet the bison.

[KierkegaardMAN]

Prior to this incident I would have said a team of mush ox but now I’ll go with a frenzy of musk ox. Or maybe a mauling of musk ox.