Oslo, Norway - A rare white moose can roam around a Norwegian county without a care now that hunters have been instructed to spare its life during hunting season.

After it was spotted a year ago, the moose, named Albin, became a national celebrity, a status that contributed to its protected status.

"We’re not sparing it because it’s special but because there has been so much talk about it. We respect that," Arne Olsen, an employee at the local agency in charge of the hunt, told the magazine Villmarksliv.

The 2 1/2-year-old moose has been spotted recently, he said.
go

Sometimes it really pays off to be the odd one out, and it can even make you a celebrity!

The flip side to this story, that you don't hear, is that Norwegian hunters agreed to spare the moose because it was so unusual.
Hunters are hardly the bloodthirsty lot that they are portrayed to be.

Boo! Where is the picture! It must be adorable

Here's a pic of one....

I am one of those 'anti hunting' people so bear this in mind when reading my reply...

Why does an animal have to be 'special or rare' just to be saved? Is not every creature unique and precious on this Earth? What exactly is accomplished by killing off something that is free and beautiful? *sighs* Well thats my rant for today.

It really is a beauty, hopefully they respect the decision to save its life and fate does not let it get hit by a stray bullet...

^^Agreed.

Seriously, I dont see the appeal in hunting for sport, or even for a living unless its REALLY nessisary(sp).

Hands off my Meese (plural of moose), I want them to live around to see which parts of the world I give them as homes once my global domination plan goes through.

Because some animals just suck and some are delicious... Just kidding.

Seriously, here in the mid-west US we have deer, lots and lots of deer. They are beautiful and graceful and loads of fun to watch while they move about in their little and sometimes very large groups.

I'm not saying that all hunters are responsible or that guns are safe but if these herds are not thinned to a level that their ecosystem can support they become weak and often spread disease amoung themselves. They wander into urban areas and hurt themselves in a desperate search for food. They crash through the glass-fronts of building like schools and super-markets when they see their reflections.

We could start a catch/sterilize/release program to thin these herds but said programs have a very slow effect on population, cost taxpayers an insane amount of money and change the the grouping and traveling habits of the animals.

This is just an example of why closely managed hunting can be helpful and not as detrimental as it seems.

In addition; the State makes money from hunting licenses, people get natural, healthy, non-polluted with growth-hormone and antibiotic meat, and the beer industry and Cabelas' prosper, while the deer population is actually strengthened in the long-term..
It's a win/win situation in most aspects..

Thanks Girty !

YW, sorry it wasn't bigger....

What a beautiful animal, and it should be saved...We read to much about the possible extinction of animals...it makes me sad..

So, he's being spared 'cause he's white?

Lol, u make it sound racist.

Anyways though. It shows that not all hunters are as evil as they are portrayed, but like everyone said, why does it need to be different to be saved?

awww! I'd love to pet him.

Are you kidding??? Nature has a build in system of control called predators.... but seeing as that has already been so screwed up we now have to have a situation that motivates killing... just another example of how we are screwing up nature. I do understand those that hunt and eat or use the meat afterwards that is the same as killing a cow... But those that hunt for trophys I am strictly against! Truthfully tell me how many animals does an average hunter kill? Do you really think they use every animal they kill? (use as in for meat etc)

Next the weak die out in any case regardless of the number of animals. The more animals the larger the gene pool which minimizes inbreeding which causes the abovementioned defects and disease... In any properly run ecosystem you have times of influx where you have a large number of herbivores which of course attract large amounts of carnivores to even it out again and so it carrys on...

At the moment we have a human win animal lose system...

Sorry that went a bit off tangent but this is something very close to my heart... can anyone get a bigger photo of that moose??

.... maybe they wanted to milk him (see the milking moose thread) - maybe they wanted to see if it had a different flavour, like vanilla.

Only about the delicious part.

Well never having tasted 'moose' I cannot comment on that so I'll have to take your word on it...

That other thread is just plain wrong...