FRIDAY MARCH 15, 2024

Alexander Haro

Senior Editor

STAFF

The Marco Polo sheep, also known as the Argali sheep, is the largest species of wild sheep. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

An 80-year-old Montana rancher is facing criminal charges after it emerged that he illegally created giant sheep hybrids with the intention of selling them to hunting outfits.

“Arthur “Jack” Schubarth, 80, of Vaughn, Montana, is the owner and operator of Sun River Enterprises LLC – also known as Schubarth Ranch – which is a 215-acre alternative livestock ranch in Vaughn,” the US Department of Justice wrote in a release. “The Schubarth Ranch is engaged in the purchase, sale and breeding of ‘alternative livestock’ such as mountain sheep, mountain goats and various ungulates. The primary market for Schubarth’s livestock is captive hunting operations, also known as shooting preserves or game ranches.”

Schubarth used body parts from a huge subspecies of sheep called the Marco Polo sheep. That species is native to Kyrgyzstan and can grow to over 300 pounds with horns growing to five feet in width. Those horns are what make them so attractive to hunters, but the State of Montana banned them in an attempt to protect the native sheep populations.

Schubarth trafficked the sheep parts into the US illegally, without reporting them to the necessary authorities, then sent them to a lab to make cloned embryos. Those were then implanted into some of his ewes, which resulted in a strain of sheep Schubarth named the “Montana Mountain King” or MMK. Semen from the MMK sheep was then used to impregnate other species of ewes, creating a hybrid sheep far larger than the ones native to Montana.

“Court documents explain that Schubarth worked with the other unnamed coconspirators to use MMK’s semen to artificially impregnate various other species of ewes – all of which were prohibited in Montana – and create hybrid animals,” the US Department of Justice continued. “Their goal was to create a larger and more valuable species of sheep to sell to captive hunting facilities, primarily in Texas.”

There were at least five other people involved in the scheme, which took place between 2013 and 2021. Schubarth, along with the others, forged veterinary documents pertaining to the species of sheep, and also were able to get their hands on illegally obtained genetic material from Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep.

“This was an audacious scheme to create massive hybrid sheep species to be sold and hunted as trophies,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “In pursuit of this scheme, Schubarth violated international law and the Lacey Act, both of which protect the viability and health of native populations of animals.”

It’s important to enforce laws like the Lacey Act, since the species in Montana should be protected.

“The kind of crime we uncovered here could threaten the integrity of our wildlife species in Montana,” said Ron Howell, Chief of Enforcement for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP). “This was a complex case and the partnership between us and U.S Fish and Wildlife Service was critical in solving it.”

Schubarth faces a multitude of felony counts, each of which comes with a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and three years of supervised release. He’s scheduled to hear his sentence on July 11th.

By Cara Tabachnick

March 16, 2024 / 11:49 AM EDT / CBS News

• https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hamburg-alligator-seized-albert-blind-new-york-home/

A 750-pound, 11-foot-long alligator named Albert was seized from a New York home this week, setting the stage for a confrontation between the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation and the animal’s self-proclaimed owner. 

The alligator lived in an in-ground pool in the backyard of owner Tony Cavallaro’s Hamburg, New York home, and has multiple health problems, including blindness in both eyes and spinal complications, officials said. Cavallaro allegedly allowed members of the public “to get into the water to pet the unsecured alligator,” according to the department. 

Albert was seized on Wednesday in “the interest of public safety and the health, safety, and protection of the alligator,” the department said. He has been placed with a specialized caretaker who can care for him while the damage was assessed. 

Cavallaro refuted claims that he had not properly cared for the animal, writing in an online petition calling for Albert’s return that he treated the alligator better “than most people take care of their kids.” He also criticized the department for the way the seizure was managed, writing that 20 agents came to his home in full body armor and carrying weapons. 

“It was like I was a gun dealing drug dealing criminal the way they acted. The scene that they made on my street is very disturbing and totally wrong,” he wrote. 

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Officials said that Cavallaro had a license to own the alligator that expired in 2021. Cavallaro said that two years ago, the rules around owning an alligator had changed, and he attempted to renew his license in 2021 but was unable to contact the necessary authorities. 

“I’ve had him 34 years and abided by all of them and renewed my permit annually as required,” he wrote.

Cavallaro said that he plans to fight to regain custody of Albert. 

“I ask it all of my friends and people who love Albert will support me when this date comes available and if you can join me at the Hamburg town court to help me fight them to get him back,” he wrote. 

Source: Xinhua

Editor: huaxia

2024-03-15 11:55:15

https://english.news.cn/20240315/c13e6409557b4afc86d5841be6562dd6/c.html

MANILA, March 15 (Xinhua) — The Philippines has imposed a temporary ban on the importation of poultry and poultry products from Sweden and the Czech Republic due to an outbreak of bird flu in those countries, the Philippine Department of Agriculture has said.

Domestic and wild birds and their products, including poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs from the two European countries are prohibited from entering into the Philippines, according to two recent memorandum orders issued by Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel.

Sweden and the Czech Republic reported a highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 outbreak on Jan. 5 and Jan. 30, respectively.

Laurel stressed the need to prevent the entry of the virus to protect the health of local poultry population.

“All shipments coming that are in transit before the official communication of this order shall be allowed provided that the products were slaughtered on or before Dec. 22, 2023,” Laurel said.

Bird flu spreads among wild aquatic birds worldwide and can infect domestic poultry and other bird and animal species. ■