After it was spotted a year ago, the moose, named Albin, became a national celebrity, a status that contributed to its protected status, Aftenposten reported Wednesday.

"We’re not sparing it because it’s special but because there has been so much talk about it. We respect that," Arne Olsen, an employee at the local agency in charge of the hunt, told the magazine Villmarksliv.

The 2 1/2-year-old moose has been spotted recently, Olsen said.