USA: Recreational Hunters Sentenced to Record Fine
A couple in Nebraska was sentenced to a $750,000 fine for poaching. It is the largest known poaching case in the state.
In Omaha, Nebraska, a federal court convicted a well-known couple and their bow hunting business for violating the Lacey Act, which prohibits the trade in wildlife and poaching. The recreational hunters were sentenced to a total fine of $750’000.
Largest Known Poaching Case in Nebraska
In the largest known poaching case in Nebraska, investigators linked more than 100 individuals from 21 states to the illegal taking and transportation of big game across state lines. Customers of the outfitter paid between $2’500 and $7’000 for the chance to shoot big game trophies, employing illegal tactics such as baiting and spotlighting.
To date, 30 individuals have pleaded guilty and have been ordered to pay a total of $570’453 in fines and restitution. Collectively, they have lost their hunting and fishing privileges for 53 years.
TV Hunter Convicted
One of the key clients was television hunter Rod Owen. Investigators found that several of his animals had been illegally baited into shooting range. He was ordered to pay $50’000 in fines and damages.
“The ethical hunters of this state want this to stop, once and for all,” said Janice Spicha. “If you knowingly participate in illegal hunting activities, you should never be allowed to hunt again. Never again.” More on the topic of recreational hunting.
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More on the subject of recreational hunting: In the dossier Poaching and hunting crime in Switzerland we document cases, legal questions and recurring patterns. What the research says about this is shown by Hunting fact-checked: the state of research.
The position of IG Wild beim Wild: IG Wild beim Wild rejects recreational hunting. Our model is the canton of Geneva, which has managed without recreational hunting since 1974: without hunting seasons, without hunting dogs, without driven hunts, without high seats, without the animal cruelty and crime that go hand in hand with hunting season elsewhere. What has worked there for over fifty years disproves every position paper by JagdSchweiz. An association that bases its policy on claims it refutes in its own documents is not a professional organisation, but a factory for misinformation.
