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How this rare white moose escaped a death sentence

Ferdinand is a famous white moose living in Sweden who gained notoriety after local politician Hans Nilsson caught him on film last August. But like many a star, his time in the spotlight hasn’t been easy.

A few months after he shot to stardom, his story took a turn after he charged at a local woman who was jogging with two dogs. Suddenly, locals said they felt unsafe.

In response, police said they would allow hunters to shoot the animal, horrifying Ferdinand’s fans. Local moose shelters offered to take him in, and Nilsson started a petition to reverse the decision, which received 14,000 signatures in just three days. And either way, local hunters simply didn’t want to shoot the beautiful animal, police said.

(Its white color comes from a valued genetic mutation that’s found in moose around the world — in Canada, for example, hunters aren’t allowed to shoot any moose that’s more than 50 percent white.)

So for now, at least, Ferdinand the moose remains on the loose.