The two men face fines of up to $100,000 after they were charged with harassing wildlife.
Canadian wildlife authorities have charged two men with harassment of wildlife for hitching a ride on a moose in the wild.
In a video of the incident, the giant moose was seen swimming for his life. The men, riding in a speedboat, appear to be chasing the terrified beast for kicks.
“Get up there. Let's get on that thing,” one of the men is heard saying.
The moose struggled to outrun the boat at a pristine lake, but to no avail. The boat drew closer, and suddenly, the shirtless guy jumped onto the 800-pound moose as his buddies erupt in laughter.
But the valiant moose won, tossing the guy off its back.
“It was shocking. The fact that someone could have such disregard for wildlife is unthinkable,” Carrie Platt, an expert on moose behavior with the Columbus Zoo, told Inside Edition.
The two men face fines of up to $100,000.
"The animal was trying to flee and they kept chasing it down. They could have potentially put that animal in a situation that is very dangerous for themselves and the animal," Plat said.
Reckless stunts involving riding wild animals are all over the Internet. In one video, a 19-year-old jumps onto the back of a 30-foot, 50,000-pound whale shark in Florida.
In another, a boy takes a ride on a giant tortoise. Other videos show people riding a zebra and a goat.
Other crazy stunts show two guys doing connon balls on top of a huge manatee.. They were arrested and received 175 hours of community service.
“There are wildlife laws in place to protect animals in this sort of situation. It’s illegal to harass animals. Animals are not there to be jumped on and ridden in such a manner,” said Platt.
