Curtis Worland Obituary, Death – Curtis Worland, a Court Service Officer for the Nome AST post, was reportedly killed by a musk ox in the afternoon on Tuesday, according to statements made by the Alaska State Troopers. Austin McDaniel, a spokesperson for the troopers, stated that Worland was attempting to drive a herd of musk oxen out of his kennel for his sled dogs. On their farm just outside the city limits, on the Nome-Teller Highway, Worland and his wife have a sled dog team that they use for recreation. According to McDaniel, Worland was alone himself at the time in question. Around 12:30 in the afternoon, he was discovered hurt by a different person, who subsequently informed the troopers of his condition.
According to McDaniel, both state troopers and local volunteers from the NVFD responded to the call. Chief Jim West Jr. of the Nome Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Departments stated that he and a few other NVFD fire volunteers attended to the incident. West stated that he had the sense that Worland was still alive when they were being toned out, but when they arrived on the site, after the troopers had already gotten there, Worland had already passed away. West was surprised to learn that Worland had passed away. West observed a serious injury to the femoral artery in his patient.
According to West, Worland was not located in the dog yard but rather across the property in the snow on the north side of the Nome-Teller Highway. He added that Worland was not in the dog yard. According to West’s estimations, Worland’s body was located between 100 and 150 yards away from the road and apart from his snowmobile when it was found. An empty sidearm was discovered in close proximity to the victim. According to McDaniel, Worland’s remains are going to be transported to the medical examiner.
Curtis donned his uniform as a Court Services Officer with pride and gave the people of Alaska his honorable service for a total of thirteen years. According to the Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Public Safety, James Cockrell, “He was a proud member of the Nome community and a dedicated member of the Alaska law enforcement family.” During this time of grieving for our state, I encourage all Alaskans to keep Curtis’ family, friends, and loved ones in their thoughts, as well as the men and women who serve in the Alaska State Troopers. The DPS family will feel a profound loss as a result of his passing.
An investigation into the occurrence is being conducted by the Alaska State Troopers, in conjunction with the Alaska Wildlife Troopers and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Musk oxen have been showing up in greater numbers within or close to the city borders, most commonly from the late spring through the fall months, and this trend has been going on for years. The animals have a history of goring, attacking, and killing dogs in Nome, including a dog that resided in the dog yard of the Worland in December of 2020. This is a fact that has been documented.
Then, an ADF&G scientist stated that by the time the snow flakes, the nuisance musk oxen are generally no longer an issue, and that he considered the musk ox attack on the dog in December to be unseasonably late. This was said in reference to the fact that the musk ox attack occurred in December. They head up into the hills during the winter months in order to search for food there. But recent warm spells and rain events in December have formed a thick covering of ice, and it’s possible that the herds have been forced back to the neighborhood of Nome, where there are more shrubs and willows than there are on hills or in open tundra.
