I get the importation of body parts of endangered animals being illegal. If it's just a sentence for that then I get it. But then why is it written that he was jailed for cloning the sheep.
> The sheep, native to the mountains of the Pamir region of Central Asia, are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites).
> They are prohibited in Montana to protect native sheep from disease - as well as to prevent the creation of hybrids.
It sounds like he broke two laws - one about importation of animal parts, and one for having a living animal that's prohibited in Montana.
> But then why is it written that he was jailed for cloning the sheep.
Because it's a catchy headline.
> The Lacey Act prohibits interstate trade in wildlife that has been taken, possessed, transported or sold in violation of federal or state law. The Lacey Act also prohibits the interstate sale of wildlife that has been falsely labeled. The Act is one of the most powerful tools the United States has to combat wildlife trafficking and prevent ecological invasion by injurious wildlife."
Laws aside, I think the largest potential harm is introducing a potentially invasive species that could harm local ecosystem.
It's at least possible that someone who would otherwise have hunted one just to have the 'wall art' might have hunted a hybrid instead. Also from a purely genetic standpoint it increased the number of copies of that genetic code.
He fucked up in multiple ways, outside of the cloning.
The animal (or 'parts') he imported was illegal and engangered. And he was set to further endanger the Montana flock with it's introduction.
This guy is a menace, F him.
EDIT: Oh yeah I forgot - all this effort was to sell the illegally imported / created animal which endangers the native animal population to bolster his business of raising unusual animals specifically for closed big game trophy hunting.
So he is fine with risking Montanas wildlife population to enrich himself and 'create' new franken-animals specifically to kill them when they are the right size.
I hope this guy perishes of old age in jail and this has a chilling effect on anyone else pulling this crap.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_cloning#Entering_the_com...
He surreptitiously and illegally imported parts of an endangered animal breaking both domestic and international laws (again, knowingly).
All of this was done secretly, down to forging Veterinary Certificates and other documents meant to pass them off as 'legal, domestic' breeds.
He then went on to purposefully create hybrids that he knew were illegal and invasive in his state, he knew was violating the highest wildlife law in the land (who have more authority than pretty much any police department or agency) --- all of this, with the sole purpose of growing large unique hybrids to sell to game preserves which are closed (no chance of escape) for big game trophey hunters.
I couldn't write a better villain backstory if I tried. This guy deserves to have the book thrown at him, along with everyone he conspired with.
Did you even read the article? Or are you just reading the comments? All of this is so abundantly clear I find it impossible anyone could read it and say 'that doesn't FEEL illegal, just morally dubious'.
He for sure KNEW it was illegal given his industry, forgeries, and other attempts to conceal his actions.
So the invasiveness of the species and it's likelyhood to cause harm to the population seems like the key points.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bighorn_sheep
https://www.montana.edu/screel/teaching/bioe-440r-521/docume...
A wild bighorn sheep lives remotely and is highly skittish.
Whatever the judge is feeling today, huh?
Source: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/montana-man-sentenced-federal...
(This is just a rhetorical question.)
Also note the charges of conspiracy. He and his co-conspirators knew what they were doing was illegal and took steps to falsify records.