YouTube 'moose rider' charged

A man who leapt from a speedboat onto the back of a swimming moose in Canada will face court next month on wildlife offences.

Two men were charged this week following a yearlong investigation by the Conservation Office Service in British Columbia into the 2015 incident that was filmed and uploaded to YouTube.

In the footage, a man dressed only in shorts stands at the edge of the boat egging on his friends to catch up to the animal wading in shallow waters of Tuchodi Lakes in British Columbia, CBC Canada reports.

As the boat inches closer, the man steps to the bow and launches himself onto the animal’s back. As his friends steer the tinnie away, the man hoists his arm into the air triumphantly.

“I’ve never seen something more awesome,” one of the man’s friends splutters through laughter.

The man and one of his friends, whose identities are not known, have been charged with harassing wildlife, attempting to capture wildlife and hunting big game.

They are due to appear in a Fort Nelson court on August 8.