US breeder of "hybrid" sheep used endangered genetic material and could be jailed. March 14, 2024
- Ana Cunha-Busch
- Mar 13, 2024
- 2 min read
By AFP - Agence France Presse
A US man who tried to create huge hybrid sheep using genetic material from endangered animals to sell them to trophy hunting farms could be jailed after pleading guilty to wildlife offenses on Tuesday.
Arthur Schubarth, 80, illegally imported parts of the world's largest species of sheep from Kyrgyzstan, which he used to create cloned embryos in the United States.
The resulting fetuses were then implanted into sheep on his ranch in Montana, resulting in the birth of a genetically pure Marco Polo argali, an endangered species that can weigh more than 135 kilos and have horns more than 1.5 meters wide.
Schubarth then used the semen from this specimen to fertilize various species of sheep to create hybrids never seen before, to produce even bigger sheep.
He hoped to sell the resulting animals to "canned" hunting ranches, facilities where clients pay to slaughter animals in captivity and where larger animals can command higher prices.
"This was an audacious scheme to create massive hybrid species of sheep to be sold and hunted as trophies," said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division, which prosecuted the case.
"In pursuit of this scheme, Schubarth violated international law and the Lacey Act, which protect the viability and health of native animal populations."
The Lacey Act prohibits interstate commerce in certain wild animals and is used by authorities to combat wildlife trafficking.
Schubarth, whose ranch raises and sells mountain sheep, mountain goats, and other ungulates primarily to hunting ranches, admitted to one count of conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act and one count of substantive violation of the Lacey Act.
The offenses carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
hg/nro
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