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Curtis Worland, a state trooper, died after a wild animal attacked him on Tuesday, December 13, 2022. Worland was attacked near his home in Nome, Alaska.
According to the Alaska State Troopers, the veteran state trooper was trying to keep a group of muskoxen out of a dog kennel. In the process, one of the animals attacked him and he was declared dead on the spot.
State Troopers have also mentioned that Worland has been serving the community for almost 13 years. Curtis Worland has been described as a dedicated member of the law enforcement family in Alaska. Several agencies are currently investigating the attack.
State trooper Curtis Worland was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency officials
On Tuesday, December 13, 2022, while Curtis Worland was trying to scare a group of muskoxen away from his dog’s kennel, one of them viciously attacked him to death.
According to a report by The Washington Post, Curtis was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency officials. Several law enforcement officials have expressed their condolences about the tragic incident. James Cockrell, the Public Safety Commissioner, said:
“Curtis proudly wore the Court Services Officer uniform and honorably served the people of Alaska for 13 years.”
He further added:
“He was a proud member of the Nome community and a dedicated member of the Alaska law enforcement family. I hope that Alaskans will keep Curtis’ family, friends, loved ones, and the Alaska State Troopers in your thoughts as we process this tragic loss for our state. He will be sorely missed by the DPS family.”
The Muskox is usually not an aggressive animal but is considered a wild animal. Muskoxen are over 4 feet tall and can weigh anywhere between 450-900 pounds. They can be easily spotted in Canada, Alaska, and Greenland.
The Alaska State Troopers published a statement on Twitter saying:
“We are deeply saddened to report that one of our own, Court Services Officer Curtis Worland, was tragically killed during a muskox attack near Nome earlier today.”
Several groups of troopers are investigating the fatal attack of state trooper Curtis Worland
A spokesperson for the State Troopers, Austin McDaniel, reported that he could not confirm the number of muskoxen in the group that Curtis Worland was trying to scare away. Officials have mentioned that Curtis was a court services officer. McDaniel added:
“Court services officers are law enforcement officers who provide prisoner transport services, courthouse security, and court document services. Curtis Worland was a dedicated member of the Alaska Department of Public Safety. He served the state well as a court services officer and he will certainly be missed.”
Austin McDaniel mentioned that he did not have any further information regarding the attack on the state trooper. He also stated that Worland's remains have been sent to the medical examiner to unearth further details. The case is currently being investigated by the Alaska State Troopers, Department of Fish and Game, and Alaska Wildlife Troopers.
It has been discovered that cases of Muskoxen attacking and killing people are quite rare. In fact, this is reportedly the first case in Nome, where Muskox killed a human. However, cases of these animals fatally attacking dogs in rural areas of Alaska have been well-heard of.
