While out fishing in Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming, one angler found himself in a hazardous situation when a moose charged at him.

What happened?

Wide Open Spaces shared the story of the incident, which happened in June. The angler, fishing on the North Tongue River near thick stands of willows, suddenly came face to face with an agitated moose who began to charge toward him. At that point, he later told rangers from Wyoming's Game and Fish Department (WGFD) that he fired multiple shots, killing the animal.

Unfortunately, the moose in question had likely become agitated because she was protecting her young calves.

"The wardens searched the surrounding area and found two young-of-the-year moose calves that they believed the cow was defending," WGFD stated in their press release. "Due to their inability to survive without their mother, the calves were euthanized."

Why is an animal encounter like this concerning?

Wyoming wildlife photographer Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven expressed his disappointment in the angler's actions, telling the Cowboy State Daily that he believed the angler could have used non-lethal options to chase away the mother moose.

"Carrying a gun in a situation in which you put yourself voluntarily and in which you are aware of potential dangers, like hiking or angling - especially during moose calving season when it's best to avoid moose habitat like dense willows - shouldn't be allowed," he said. "Especially since more effective self-defense methods like bear spray are available which don't result in needless loss of life."

But despite the sadness of the loss, another local outdoorsman empathized with the difficult position in which the angler had found himself. "I'm confident he did everything right," Paul Ulrich told Cowboy State Daily. "Inevitably if you fish long enough in Wyoming, you're going to have an encounter like that."

The increasing likelihood of such an encounter, however, is cause for concern itself.

Animals and humans have found themselves cohabiting in increasingly overlapping circles due to an array of factors. Namely, this is due to humans destroying species' habitats for their own settlement, leaving nowhere else for animals to go.

Similarly, when animals become desensitized to humans and seek out food in developed areas — an increasingly common possibility, given natural shortages caused by drought, fire, and other factors linked with the changing climate — this further amplifies the risk of an encounter.

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What can be done to navigate encounters safely?

According to WGFD, there are several ways to avoid conflict with moose. First, they advise simply paying close attention to the area, watching and listening for any signs of wildlife.

As you move through a wildlife-prone area, something as simple as making noise — which serves to alert wildlife to your presence — can go a long way in deterring a conflict. If you do see an animal, staying a safe distance keeps everybody safe.

And if necessary, when it comes to defending yourself, WGFD advises bear spray as an "effective, nonlethal deterrent in a conflict situation with moose, bears, or other wildlife," they explained.

More broadly, many conservation groups around the world are looking to educate communities on how to coexist with animals and keep all individuals safe and healthy.

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