Man Killed by Muskox as He Defends Dog Kennel

As he tried to shoo a group of muskox away from a dog kennel at his home near Nome, Alaska, on Tuesday, Curtis Worland was fatally attacked by one of the large animals. Worland, who had worked as a court services officer with the Alaska State Troopers since 2009, was declared dead at the scene, Alaska Public Media reports. "Curtis Worland was a dedicated member of the Alaska Department of Public Safety,” says a Troopers spokesperson. “He served the state well as a court services officer and he will certainly be missed.”

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game will investigate, and if the muskox involved is found to be a public health threat, it may be killed, the spokesperson says. While it's not unheard of for muskoxen to attack dogs, it's rare for the animals to kill people. The animals can reach more than four feet tall and 900 pounds, and many of them can be found around Nome, Alaska's News Source reports. (More Alaska stories.)