![\"Alaskan](\"https:\/\/alaska-native-news.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/dallsheep.jpg\")
<\/a>Alaskan Dall Sheep. Image-ADF&G<\/p>\nCOPPER CENTER, Alaska\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Three U.S. hunters who illegally crossed into Canada to poach two\u00a0Dall\u00a0sheep, a\u00a0Thinhorn\u00a0subspecies,\u00a0have been convicted in both the United States and Canada following a years-long coordinated investigation by the National Park Service, Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Yukon Conservation Officer Services and other U.S. and Canadian law enforcement partners.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThis case demonstrates the dedication of our rangers and law enforcement partners to protecting the wildlife and natural resources that define Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve,\u201d said Acting Superintendent Joshua Scott.\u00a0\u201cWildlife does not recognize international borders, and neither does our commitment to conserving these shared resources. The successful outcome of this investigation reflects years of collaboration among U.S. and Canadian agencies working together to hold wildlife violators accountable and protect these resources for future generations.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nThe investigation began in August 2022 after Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve\u00a0law\u00a0enforcement rangers reported suspicious hunting activity near the international boundary. National Park Service Investigative Services Branch special agents and partner agencies\u00a0determined\u00a0that three U.S. hunters illegally shot two\u00a0Dall\u00a0sheep in Canada\u2019s Yukon Territory before transporting the animals back into the United States through Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nThe\u00a0three\u00a0individuals\u00a0were\u00a0convicted\u00a0both Canada and the United States. In Yukon Territorial Court, they pleaded guilty to unlawfully harvesting the sheep and\u00a0received\u00a0fines, hunting\u00a0prohibitions\u00a0and forfeiture of seized property. In the United States District Court for the District of Alaska, the individuals pleaded guilty to Lacey Act violations involving the illegal transport and import of wildlife. They were sentenced to probation, fined and ordered to pay restitution, while\u00a0forfeiting\u00a0firearms,\u00a0equipment\u00a0and the illegally harvested sheep. \u00a0\u00a0
In May 2026, after all legal proceedings and evidence retention requirements were complete, the forfeited sheep horns were returned to the Government of Yukon. One set will be used for wildlife education, while the second was donated to the National Park Service. The meat was donated to the White River First Nation and proceeds from the sale of the capes will support conservation efforts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
The investigation involved extensive cooperation among the National Park Service, National Park Service Investigative Services Branch, Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Alaska State Troopers, Yukon Conservation Officer Services, Parks Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the District of\u00a0Alaska\u00a0and Yukon Crown prosecutors.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0\u201cThis investigation reflects the strength of long-standing partnerships dedicated to protecting wildlife and upholding the law,\u201d saidISB Chief Deb Flowers.\u00a0\u201cI commend the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve team, as well as the ISB Special Agents\u00a0for\u00a0their\u00a0outstanding collaboration with Yukon Conservation Officer Services, Alaska Wildlife Troopers and our federal partners to bring\u00a0this\u00a0complex cross-border case to a successful conclusion.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nThe National Park\u00a0Service\u00a0ISB\u00a0is the National Park Service\u2019s criminal investigative division. Through professional criminal investigations and close collaboration with federal, Tribal, state, local and international law enforcement partners, ISB helps protect visitors, employees,\u00a0park\u00a0resources\u00a0and the wildlife that moves across the Alaska-Yukon border. This case\u00a0demonstrates\u00a0the importance of coordinated enforcement efforts in conserving shared natural resources and holding those who violate wildlife laws accountable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u00a0 \u00a0Cross border collaboration protects shared wildlife and holds poachers accountable\u00a0 Alaskan Dall Sheep. Image-ADF&G COPPER CENTER, Alaska\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Three…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":770405,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[23,3,21,19,22,20,25,24],"class_list":["post-770404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-states","tag-america","tag-news","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/770404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=770404"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/770404\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/770405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=770404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=770404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=770404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}