Two suspects have been charged a year after a video of a man jumping onto a moose in the water was posted online.
In the video posted to YouTube in June 2015, a shirtless man is seen standing at the front of a boat as it approaches a large moose wading or swimming in the water. The body of water was later identified as the remote Tuchodi Lakes, approximately 120 kilometres southwest of Fort Nelson.
The driver moves the boat closer to the moose, until it is directly behind the giant creature. The man then jumps off the boat and onto its back, where he stays seated, fist in the air, for a few seconds before falling off.
Several people can be heard laughing from the boat.
The video, posted by B.C.-based group Wolftracker TV, was viewed tens of thousands of times and sparked an investigation by B.C.'s Conservation Officer Service. As officers investigated, the video reached more than two million views on YouTube.
A year after that investigation began, a report was submitted to Crown counsel recommending charges against two men from Fort St. John.
Bradley Crook and Jaysun Pinkerton have each been charged with three offences under The Wildlife Act: harassing wildlife with the use of a boat, attempting to capture wildlife and hunting big game that is swimming.
The pair is scheduled to appear in a Fort Nelson courtroom on Aug. 8 at 2 p.m.
With files from CTV Vancouver's Mi-Jung Lee
