Poachers take Banff bighorn
Grady Semmens, with files from Dan Singleton

Calgary Herald

November 2, 2004
Wardens in Banff are hunting for clues after a prized bighorn sheep was killed in what officials are calling a "bold" case of poaching in the national park.

"This is a pretty brash and bold situation in the sense that (the ram) was taken right close to an area of high visitor use, way inside the park," said Parks Canada law enforcement specialist Doug Martin.

"It looks like somebody just drove right into the park and took a ram." Investigators hope the public will be able to help track down those responsible for killing the adult male bighorn near Lake Minnewanka last week.

The animal, which would likely fetch thousands of dollars on the black market for hunting trophies, was apparently shot near the road to the popular lake, about 100 kilometres west of Calgary.

"This was well-orchestrated," Martin said. "They left very little evidence, and that's why we're appealing to the public for assistance," he said. "There's a good chance somebody driving in the area might have seen something or taken some photos that could help us with our investigation."

Park staff became concerned when they noticed one of two male bighorns that frequented Lake Minnewanka went missing at the same time a large patch of bloody snow was discovered near the road to the lake.

DNA tests of the blood confirmed it was a bighorn ram, probably between eight and 10 years old. The penalty for poaching bighorn sheep in a national park is a maximum $250,000 fine and five years in jail. "This is a theft of major proportions against the people of Canada and visitors to the park," Martin said. The incident took place early last week, at the tail end of Alberta's bighorn sheep hunting season, which saw 1,744 hunters go after bighorns from late August until Oct. 31. Hunting licences cost Alberta residents $49 and non-residents $310.

About 130 to 150 sheep are killed during the hunting season each year. Considered the best bighorn hunting ground in the world, Alberta has the largest population of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep on the continent, about 7,000 animals.

The province attracts hunters from around the world. Since 1995, the government has auctioned two bighorn hunting permits for the November rut to the highest bidders -- one of whom must be an Alberta resident -- the proceeds of which go to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to protect wildlife habitat.

The auction has produced the most expensive hunting trip in North America. American real estate mogul Sherwin Scott spent $1.1 million on hunting licences in 1998 and 1999 in hopes of bagging a world-record bighorn.

Scott ended up shooting the third-largest ram in history in 1999 near Cadomin, just outside Jasper National Park. Martin said the trophy head of an illegally killed bighorn ram can fetch up to $100,000 on the black market. "We have poaching issues every year, but normally they are associated with our boundaries, when people maybe don't know they're in the park or follow an animal into the park," Martin said.

"In this case, it was very blatant." Anyone with information about the poaching is asked to call the Banff park warden office at 1-403-762-1470. Meanwhile, conservation officers in Sundre are seeking the poachers responsible for three incidents last month. Officer Jim Mitchell said an anterless elk was shot in a grazing lease southwest of Sundre on Oct. 26 and the animal was skinned and dumped. A large mule deer buck was shot and left on Oct. 26 west of Water Valley, likely by someone sitting in a tree stand. And on Oct. 23, a cow and calf moose were shot and discarded at a well site southwest of Sundre, where the animals were covered with a green tarp and left to spoil.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Sundre fish and wildlife office at 1-403-638-3805.
gsemmens@theherald.canwest.com
© The Calgary Herald 2004