The moose, called "Albin," first sprang to attention after it was sighted in the forests south of Oslo in 2006. It since has been observed in Våler, Skiptvet, Spydeberg and Svinndal in Østfold County.
The local hunting season south of Hedmark starts October 5 and will last all month. A wildlife conservation official in Østfold, Åsmund Fjellbakk, told newspaper VG that he now has heard that a hunting team in the area is keen on tracking down the rare animal and making it into a trophy.
"I heard about three to four weeks ago that the hunters are not going to protect the moose," Fjellbakk said. "I’ve been told this by private persons."
It’s not illegal to shoot the albino moose, but most have earlier agreed to let it be.
Landowners in Norway, meanwhile, report that they're now making more money selling hunting rights than they are from the timber in their forests. There are now about 400,000 registered hunters in Norway, with the female portion rising from 29,500 five years ago to 42,570 last year.
Most of the hunters are in Nord-Trøndelag and Hedmark, where one of seven men take part in the annual moose hunt. Norway's moose population is currently estimated to be 100,000, with 35,000 shot last season.
