An American man was charged in connection with committing two felony wildlife crimes yesterday (Monday, September 30) at the U.S District Court of Montana, relating to an almost decade long conspiracy to clone a giant hybrid sheep to sell to game ranches.
Arthur ‘Jack’ Schubarth, was sentenced to six months in prison after he pleaded guilty to illegally trafficking Marco Polo Sheep parts from Kyrgyzstan to the US in an effort to clone a larger hybrid species of sheep that would garner higher prices from shooting preserves.
In doing so, Schubarth violated the Lacey Act, which “probibits the importation, exportation, transportation, sale, receipt, acquisition, or purchase of any fish or wildlife or plant taken, possessed, transported, or sold in violation of any law, treaty, or regulation of the US”.
The 81-year-old defendant is the proprietor and operator of Sun River Enterprises LLC, a 215ac ‘alternative’ livestock ranch based in Vaughn, Montana, which specialises in the breeding and sale of mountain sheep and goats to shooting preserves.
Marco Polo sheep clone
Marco Polo argali sheep are the largest breed of sheep in the world, with the average male weighing more 300 pounds in addition to a horn span greater than 5ft.
The sheep, which are native to the Pamir Mountain range of Central Asia, are classed as a protected species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and domestically by the Endangered Species Act.
Schubarth commissioned a lab to clone embryos from the genetic material extracted from the illegally obtained argali parts, which he subsequently implanted in ewes on his ranch, resulting in a single, pure genetic male Marco Polo argali, that he named “Montana Mountain King” or MMK.
The court heard that Schubarth, alongside other unnamed co-conspirators, used MMK’s semen to impregnate various other species of ewes on his ranch to create more hybrids, in a bid to create a larger, more valuable species of sheep to sell to game hunters, predominately in Texas.
To transport the prohibited sheep into and out of Montana, Schubarth and others forged veterinary inspection certificates, falsely claiming that the sheep were legally permitted species.
On occasion, Schubarth sold MMK semen directly to sheep breeders in other states.
Hybridsation increases the risk of disease in resulting animals and at least two sheep contracted and subsequently died from Johne’s disease, a chronic, wasting disease, as a direct result of Schubarth’s actions.
In addition, the defendant also illegally purchased semen from the wild hunted Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep in Montana to sell interstate, which is also prohibited under Montana legislation.
Speaking about the case, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, Todd Kim said:
“Schubarth not only violated federal and state law and international treaties, but he and others illegally conspired to conceal their actions from authorities.
“Violations of the Lacey Act, CITES and other laws can be devastating for our domestic populations of wild animals, which is why we are unwavering in our commitment to enforce them.”
U.S. attorney for the District of Montana, Jesse Laslovich said:
“Schubarth’s criminal conduct is not how Montanans treat our wildlife population. Indeed, his actions threatened Montana’s native wildlife species for no other reason than he and his co-conspirators wanted to make more money.
“Schubarth’s greed drove their conspiracy to bring to Montana parts of the largest sheep in the world from Kyrgyzstan.
“Such actions to create hybrid animals are as unnatural as they are illegal, and I applaud the extensive collaboration and diligence of all of our law enforcement partners to bring Schubarth to justice.”
In addition to his prison sentence, Schubarth was ordered to pay a $20,000 fine to the Lacey Act Reward Fund, a $4,000 payment to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and a $200 special assessment.
