By: Laura Meyers

A man in Montana regretted calling authorities after saving a crying baby moose when he learned that the baby and its dead relatives were to be blown up by the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) officials.

Josh Hohm was camping at Gallatin National Forrest late last month when he found the orphaned calf.

Hohm said he spent about seven hours with the “alert, active and healthy” calf before authorities arrived. The calf even made friends and laid down with his dogs while they waited.

The calf’s mother had died after giving birth to twins, according to FWP officials.

And although the story sounds heart-wrenching at first, there may be some logic behind all the baby moose tears.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbCA10Ex1XQ

Officials said not only was the moose going to die because it never had a chance to suckle critical nutrients from its mother, the calf could have also posed a danger to people.

“We have a policy to not rehabilitate moose, deer and elk because of disease. We rehabilitate bears, but we are not staffed to take care of animals that transmit disease,” the FWP said.

The moose family was in a public campground and risked spreading diseases, authorities said. The dead carcasses also could have attracted bears, bringing more dangerous threats too close to humans.

“We are not Grim Reapers; we are in this business because we care about animals,” the FWP said.

The moose was euthanized, then blown up, together with the carcasses of its mother and sibling.

Baby moose go boom.

And no, there isn’t video of the explosion… sicko.