SOUTH HERO, Vt. — A moose drowned in Lake Champlain after people crowded around the animal to take its picture, Vermont wildlife officials said.

Fish and Wildlife Warden Robert Currier said the moose swam across the lake from New York to South Hero, Vermont, on Saturday. He said it made it onto land but was forced back into the water, likely feeling threatened by onlookers. The moose succumbed to exhaustion and drowned.

A moose stands in Lake Champlain in South Hero, Vt., on Saturday. Wildlife officials say the animal had crossed the lake and made it to shore, but went back in the water after likely feeling threatened by onlookers and drowned. Associated Press/Bernadette Toth

Currier said he wasn’t there when the moose re-entered the water, but believes onlookers played a role based on what he heard from them and local authorities. He arrived shortly before the animal drowned.

“It was struggling pretty good at that point. We were waiting for a boat to respond to try to assist it, but before the boat arrived, it had drowned,” he said Monday. “It was really rough out there, probably 4- to 5-foot swells and high wind.”

Currier said when the boat arrived, he got in the water and attached a rope to the moose to remove it.

Bernadette Toth was in the area Saturday morning with her 17-year-old daughter, who was having her senior photos taken. She saw the moose swim to shore, but left before it re-entered the water. She said there were about half a dozen people nearby and noted that the incident happened near a bike path popular with tourists.

“They made it sound like it was this big mob of people. No, this is a heavy trafficked area for South Hero,” Toth said. “That is always a very busy, busy area.”

Currier said moose respond to threats by leaving an area or getting aggressive.

“I would advise the public to keep their distance from the animal, give it a lot of space and notify the Department of Fish and Wildlife,” he said.