The HSUS and state wildlife agencies band together to wipe out illegal huntin

Macalpine, Andy

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WBI Studies Repository (WellBeing International)

20 allanimals MARCH | APRIL 2009noplace forby ANDY MACALPINENew partnerships with state wildlifeagencies put illegal hunters on noticepoachinghumanesociety.org 21henever Lyle Smithhears about someone inhis state poaching a wild ani-mal, the Grants Pass, Ore., resident can’tshake his guilt.It’s a feeling he’ll probably endure forthe rest of his life, a penance for the years hewent out drinking on the weekends andhelping his buddies take shots at unsus-pecting animals in the middle of the night.“We’d use a .22-caliber rifle and a spot-light,” says the 64-year-old Smith, who oftentook home the deer the group illegally shotout of season and after hours to have thembutchered.“There’s this back road that runsparallel to the North Umpqua River, andthere are a lot of flat fields back there wherewe’d see groups of deer. We’d shine a spot-light on one, and the guy in the backseatwould do the shooting. Most of the time,we’d get one.”Smith, who also hunted legally for 18years, says his poaching exploits were fueledby the thrill of killing and staying a stepahead of the Oregon State Police. But oneday, he had an epiphany and stopped assuddenly as he’d started.“It was put intomymind and heart that it was the wrong thingto do. It was made crystal clear to me, and Inever hunted again.” In the years that fol-lowed, Smith served on the board of direc-tors of the Rogue Valley Humane Society,where he continues to volunteer.Today, he encourages citizens—eventhose who never set foot into the woods—toalert police if they see or hear anything thatmight lead to a poacher’s arrest.“These guys all talk,” says Smith. “Wedid. Everyone at themill [where we worked]and all our friends all knew we were doingit. These guys are all working a job some-where or have a business and they’re talkingabout it, too. I’m sure their friends andneighbors know what they’re doing; they’rejust not telling.”Help from the public is essential toidentifying poachers; with scarce wildlifeenforcement resources and countless acresof open land, only a small percentage ofperpetrators are ever caught and punished.But that may soon change. Throughgroundbreaking partnerships with statewildlife agencies that involve a reward pro-gram for tipsters as well as the use of decoysto catch illegal hunters in the act, The HSUSis working to close the gap.“In past years, animal protection or-ganizations and state wildlife agencies foundlimited opportunities to work together,” saysAndrew Page, senior director of The HSUS’sWildlife Abuse Campaign.“But poaching isone area where we can put our differencesaside and do something positive.”SENSELESS CRUELTYU.S. wildlife officials estimate that for everyone of the tens of millions of wild animalskilled legally, another is killed illegally, with-out permits or in violation of laws pertain-ing to species and numbers of animals whocan be killed, seasons in which they can behunted, and weapons used.Motivations forpoaching vary: Some video games, movies,and specialty magazines glorify images ofthe bloodshed, encouraging those alreadyreceptive to peer pres-sure or notions of familytradition to follow suit.Whatever the rea-sons, it’s rarely just forthe meat. And in manycases, the crime goes be-yond the kill. Lured byexorbitant black marketprices on certain animalparts—a bear’s gallblad-der, prized for its use intraditional Asian medicine, is “worth morethan gold,” says Page—some hunters canbecome violent to protect their profits.Smith once knew of a particularly aggres-sive band of elk poachers who weren’t afraidto pull a gun on other poachers trying toclaim their prey. “You did not want to crossthem,” he says.Some poachers inflict excessive suffer-ing on animals. In January, threeWisconsinmen were charged with multiple felonycounts of killing animals by mistreatmentafter they allegedly chased and ran over fivedeer with snowmobiles. One deer’s stomachwas gutted; another deer who’d beendragged behind a snowmobile choked todeath after being tied to a tree. One of thepoachers, who had allegedly stolen thesnowmobile he was driving, went out againlater that night, killed another deer, andtook the animal home to be butchered, saysCapt. Don Conat, aWaupaca County Sher-iff ’s Department detective.The brutality of the crimes galvanizedthe community, says Randy Stark, chief con-servation warden for theWisconsin Depart-ment of Natural Resources. A reward fundwith contributions fromTheHSUS and twolocal snowmobile clubs swelled to $12,500and attracted several tips that led police tothe suspects. “The more egregious [the act],the more the public gets involved,” saysStark,whose office has investigated 17“thrillkilling”cases over the past five years.“It’s dif-ficult to understand why these crimes hap-pen. … But [they] are clearly senseless acts;it’s important that we create a significant de-terrent effect so we get people to think twicebefore they engage in this behavior.”The HSUS works with prosecutorsto reinforce that notion. A letter writtenby Danielle Thompson,deputy manager of TheHSUS’s Wildlife AbuseCampaign, outlined tothe 13th Judicial DistrictAttorney’s office in NewMexico the impact ofwildlife crimes commit-ted in the state by a Col-orado man. “When itcame time for sentenc-ing, that letter was onemore voice out there letting the court knowthat that these crimes are important, thatpeople do care,” says Sgt. Chris Chadwick,Albuquerque district supervisor for thestate’s Game and Fish Department.PATCHWORK OF PUNISHMENTUnder New Mexico’s poaching law, defen-dant Kirt Darner was sentenced to $10,000in fines and 4,500 hours of communityservice for illegally transporting elk andreceiving stolen bighorn sheep heads.Thompson helped identify a wildlife groupwhere he could fulfill his service obligations.Darner also had to pay restitution and sur-render his hunting and fishing rights.The law is just one in a hodgepodge ofstate legislation on the issue. In Pennsylvania,one of the nation’s largest hunting states,WIt was put intomymind and heart that itwas the wrong thing todo. It wasmade crystalclear tome, and I neverhunted again.— LYLE SMITH22 allanimals MARCH | APRIL 2009poachers don’t face jail time other than inmisdemeanor cases involving threatened orendangered species (though an updatedanti-poaching bill calling for increasedpenalties may be reintroduced this year inthe state legislature). In contrast, a third of-fense for illegally hunting bears inWest Vir-ginia is a felony, and a conviction brings a$5,000 to $10,000 fine, up to five yearsin prison, and a lifetime hunting licenserevocation.The Interstate Wildlife Violator Com-pact rises above these state-by-state dispar-ities, aiming to catch poachers whereverthey roam.An alliance of 31 member states,the compact stipulates that anyone who’shad a hunting, fishing, or trapping licensesuspended or revoked for violating the rel-evant laws of one state is subject to losethose rights in the other states as well.However strict poaching laws are,they’re meaningless if not enforced.Wildlifeagencies are funded in part by sales of hunt-ing, fishing, and trapping licenses, but withparticipation in these activities on the de-cline for decades,“hunters can’t even affordto police themselves anymore,” Page says.When faced with these severe budget short-falls, the already strapped agencies areforced to cut law enforcement activity evenfurther.The resultant animal suffering—andthe sway that hunters hold over the stateagencies—has The HSUS urging thatagency funding come from additionalsources, giving nonhunters a stake in themanagement of the departments. In NewHampshire, as in some other states, effortsare under way to restructure the board thatoversees the wildlife agency; decreased par-ticipation in hunting means that agenciestoo dependent on revenue from huntingfees “just don’t have the money or resourcesto fund even the most essential programs,”says Page.In Texas, about 450 wardens must pa-trol 262,017 square miles—meaning eachwarden is responsible for more than 582square miles. It’s even worse in Minnesota,where 205 licensed officers must each patrolabout 650 square miles. “Even if we’re fullystaffed—which we’re not—that’s a prettybig chunk of turf,” says Capt. Ken Soring ofthe Minnesota Department of Natural Re-sources, who worked with The HSUS tooffer a reward after a bear was shot but notkilled last July. “And when you’ve got hunt-ing, fishing, and trapping all occurring atthe same time, that’s a lot of activity for anofficer to cover in a 650-square-mile area.”FIGHTING BACKTo create a perception of increased presence,agencies are making creative use of toolssuch as aircraft, photography and video,GPS, and decoys. They also reach out totheir most effective allies: members of thepublic and law-abiding hunters, who can re-port poaching to tip hotlines or websites in46 states. In Texas, authorities are loud andclear about the need for help; the Parks &Wildlife Department is planning a statewidebillboard promotion of its Operation GameThief hotline, with its logo displayed next tothat of The HSUS, which sponsored part ofthe campaign.To motivate people to report informa-tion that might help police, The HSUS’s re-ward program, operated in conjunctionwith The HSUS Wildlife Land Trust, givesup to $2,500 for a tip that leads to theconviction of a poacher. Of the 32 rewardsoffered in the first year of the program,totaling more than $75,000, two werepaid out. “It shows the scope of theproblem—most of the time, they aren’tcaught,” Page says.One of the rewards generated the tippolice needed to arrest a suspect for illegallykilling a beloved American crocodilenamed Donna on the University of Miamicampus; she was dismembered after beinglured to shore with a bag of fish parts.If convicted of the third-degree felony,the suspect faces up to five years in prisonand a $5,000 fine. The crime preventiongroup CrimeStoppers presented The HSUSwith its 2008 Director’s Award for its workon the case.“The biggest tool—and many times itis overlooked—is the public,” saysMichiganDepartment of Natural Resources conser-vation officer Lt. Creig Grey, who collabo-rated with The HSUS on a reward case foran eagle killed in March 2008. “We have tohave the public engaged in this [and] geteveryone of the mindset that they’re nottaking an eagle or they’re not taking a deer;it’s that they’re taking your eagle or they’retaking your deer.”LOOK UP states’ hunting regulationsand poaching tip line phone numbers athumanesociety.org/poaching. PREVIOUSSPREAD:PHOTOILLUSTRATION,REBECCAHALLENBECK/THEHSUS;IMAGE,MEDIABAKERY.THISPAGE,TOP:FRANKLEUNG/ISTOCK;BOTTOM:PHOTOS.COM.OPPOSITEPAGE:CUSTOMROBOTICWILDLIFEThe black market trade in beargallbladders fuels poaching ofAmerican black bears.humanesociety.org 23“It is considered the same as shooting at an animal,” Phoenix says.“The justice court in Arizona—and in most states—[has] determined thatif a person would shoot a decoy, they would shoot if it were a live ani-mal. So the charges are the same.”While many poaching cases sit for months without resolution, decoyprograms in Arizona and other states have led to more convictions. Thestrategy also works for The HSUS Wildlife Land Trust, which runs a roboticdecoy program on some of the 1.8 million acres of wildlife habitat it helpsprotect in 36 states and seven foreign countries.The Trust donated its first decoy to a New York conservation officerin 2004 and has since donated eight more in seven other states, withseveral donations scheduled for early 2009. “We would like to be able todonate a decoy to every game warden who oversees one of our prop-erties,” says Jim Reed, the Trust’s director of stewardship. “The biggestsuccess of the program has been the goodwill it has created betweenthe game wardens and Land Trust staff in looking out for wildlife.”Expansion of the program could bring not just more convictionsbut stricter penalties. Distribution of decoys to law enforcement and re-lease of video of illegal hunters to the media would help encourage out-raged citizens to lobby for stronger laws. The groundwork for suchprograms has been laid in some states, says Andrew Page, senior direc-tor of The HSUS’s Wildlife Abuse Campaign.“Before, we worked with law enforcement to protect animals onour own properties,” he says. “Now we’re working to make this a nationaleffort.”TO DONATE to The HSUS Wildlife Land Trust’s decoy program, call1-800-729-SAVE or visit wlt.org.The appearance of an elk grazing in the distance is probablya sight to behold for many people cruising down the road at Christ-mastime. But for four men on an aimless journey in northern Arizona, itwas a sight to destroy.Carrying guns but no hunting licenses, the men spotted the animal,pulled over, and quietly got out. They took one shot, then another.But the elk didn’t go down. Instead, officers emerged from the treeswith shouts of “Stop shooting! Game and Fish!”The entire sequence—caught on video—led to charges of huntingwithout licenses and tags, among others. And all for firing at a decoy.“These guys ... were just shooting [at the elk] just to shoot at it,” saysLarry Phoenix, Arizona Game and Fish Department Region II field super-visor. “They all went to jail.”As state wildlife agencies cope with declining budgets and staff,officers are using decoys and other tactics to bring the poachers to them.Arizona’s collection of decoys spans a broad range of the animal king-dom, from desert tortoises and gila monsters to turkeys, mule deer, andelk. And though they’re usually made from dead animals confiscatedfrom poachers or claimed from the side of the road, the specimens looklike they could walk away at any time. Many are equipped with movingheads or tails. Ranging in price from a $500 coyote to a $5,000 bear, thedecoys must be sophisticated enough to fool a seasoned poacher intotaking a shot from a reasonable distance.A typical operation starts with finding a location visible from theroad and situated against a safe backdrop to ensure that hunters do notdamage anything else. At least four officers are deployed: one to oper-ate the remote-controlled decoy, one to film the incident, and at leasttwo more to approach the shooter and issue citations.On theHuntforWildlife AbusersAn unusual bait catchespoachers in the act

No Place for Poaching

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No Place for Poaching

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