Authorities filed more than 200 charges of interstate wildlife poaching after finding dozens of headless animals ‘left to rot.’ Investigators say the case is unlike anything they’ve ever seen.
This week, prosecutors in Oregon charged 11 people with misdemeanor wildlife crimes in Wasco County. The charges mark the latest chapter in a gruesome case that had puzzled authorities across state lines for years.
The crimes – unlawful taking of wildlife, waste of wildlife, using dogs to bait and hunt, criminal conspiracy, and more — were part of a poaching ring officials say was among the biggest they’ve seen, according to The Seattle Times.
The charges in Oregon come on top of nearly 200 similar charges, including 33 felony counts, in Washington. Some involved the same individuals. In total, police charged at least 17 people.
“The scope of what we can prove and what actually happened, there’s a real gap there,” Craig Gunderson, Oregon state trooper, told the Times. “We’ll never have the whole story, but the stuff we can prove is pretty gross.”
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Massive Poaching Ring Busted in Oregon, Washington
The case launched in earnest in 2016 when Fish and Wildlife officers rigged motion-triggered cameras near the Washington-Oregon border. By that time, officials had seen a slew of mutilated and sometimes headless remains of bears, bobcats, deer, cougars, and elk — all left behind to rot.
Poaching Caught on Camera
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