Very rare white moose poached in Ontario

A very rare type of moose with white hair was illegally shot in northern Ontario, somewhere between Timmins and Chapleau.

The incident appears to have occurred during the last week of October of this year, when the white moose's head was found west of Timmins. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry investigated and found that two moose were shot during that week, one of them being the white moose in question.

According to Global News, local indigenous communities are up in arms at the offensive poaching of what many of them consider to be the "spirit moose," a sacred animal in their cultures.

"We’ve always grown up knowing about the white moose—they’ve been spotted in that area for at least the last 40 years," said Troy Woodhouse of the Flying Post First Nation and a local resident.

"Some people believe it’s a sign from our old ancestors from the area watching over us, so that’s very important to the people of Foleyet and Flying Post First Nation community members."

"I’d like to (hear) their side of the story, too. Maybe the people just genuinely didn't know the rules. A lot of people come in from out of province to hunt the area, from up north and down south."

Murray Ray, the chief of Flying Post First Nation, mentioned, "Some of our First Nation, who lives in Foleyet and around there, they're a little bit more outraged. It's a special moose, and that's why they're protected … They've been there a long time."

Killing a moose that's predominantly white in the area can result in fines of up to $25,000 and up to a year in prison, as well as potential temporary or permanent loss of hunting licences.