BILLINGS, MT - On Tuesday, March 12th, a rancher plead guilty to felony charges of wildlife trafficking and conspiracy to traffic wildlife. Each offense carries a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and three years of supervised release.
According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Montana rancher, identified as 80-year-old Arthur "Jack" Schubarth, spent nearly a decade trying to create giant sheep hybrids in the United States with the intent of eventually selling the species to captive hunting facilities.
Schubarth is the owner and operator of Sun River Enterprises LLC, which is also known as Schubarth Ranch, a 215-acre alternative livestock ranch located in Vaughn, Montana. The ranch has reportedly engaged in the purchase, sale and breeding of "alternative livestock," such as mountain sheep, mountain goats and various ungulates. The primary market for the ranch is captive hunting operations, also known as shooting preserves or game ranches.
Court documents detail the yearslong conspiracy, which began back in 2013. Schubarth and five other individuals sought to create "giant sheep hybrids" by cross-breeding different species. They did this between 2013 and 2021, hoping that their new hybrid species would garner "high prices" from shooting preserves.
Schubarth brought parts of the largest sheep in the world, the Marco Polo argali sheep, from Kyrgyzstan into the United States without declaring the importation.
According to the DOJ, these sheep are native to the high elevations of the Pamir region of Central Asia and are protected internationally by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, domestically by the U.S. Endangered Species Act and are prohibited in the State of Montana to protect native sheep from disease and hybridzation.
According to court documents, "Schubarth sent genetic material from the argali parts to a lab to create cloned embryos. Schubarth then implanted the embryos in ewes on his ranch, resulting in a single, pure genetic male Marco Polo argali that he named 'Montanta Mountain King' or 'MMK'."
Federal prosecutors stated that Schubarth worked with the other unnamed co-conspirators to use MMK's semen to artificially impregnate various other species of ewes, all of which are prohibited in Montana, and created hybrid animals. Their end goal was to create a larger and more valuable species of sheep to sell to captive hunting facilities, primarily located in Texas.
Court documents show that in order to move the prohibited sheep into and out of Montana, Schubarth and the others forged veterinary inspection certificates, falsely claiming that the sheep were legally permitted species. Other times, Schubarth sold MMK semen directly to sheep breeders in other states.
Court documents also detail how Schubarth illegally obtained genetic material from wild hunted Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep in Montana and he purchased parts of those wild hunted sheep in violation of Montana law. He transported and sold the bighorn parts in interstate commerce.
Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) said in a statement, "This was an audacious scheme to create massive hybrid sheep species to be sold and hunted as trophies. In pursuit of this scheme, Schubarth violated international law and the Lacey Act, both of which protect the viability and health of native populations of animals."
In another statement, Ron Howell, Chief of Enforcement for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP), said, "The kind of crime we uncovered here could threaten the integrity of our wildlife species in Montana. This was a complex case and the partnership between us and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was critical in solving it."
Male argali sheep can weigh up to 300 pounds and have horns of nearly five feet long, making them a prized possession among some hunters. Schubarth was reportedly reached by telephone on Wednesday, March 13th by reporters, but said that his attorney advised him not to talk about the case. He said, "I would love to talk about it, but can't do it now."
According to Montana FWP spokesperson Greg Lemon, said that Schubarth's ranch was grandfathered in when the 2000 ballot initiatives passed and has continued to operate, although hunting is prohibited. Captive animal facilities where game species can be raised and hunted were banned in the State of Montana back 2000, but still remain legal in other states.
Schubarth is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11th by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Brian M. Morris for the District of Montana.
According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Montana rancher, identified as 80-year-old Arthur "Jack" Schubarth, spent nearly a decade trying to create giant sheep hybrids in the United States with the intent of eventually selling the species to captive hunting facilities.
Schubarth is the owner and operator of Sun River Enterprises LLC, which is also known as Schubarth Ranch, a 215-acre alternative livestock ranch located in Vaughn, Montana. The ranch has reportedly engaged in the purchase, sale and breeding of "alternative livestock," such as mountain sheep, mountain goats and various ungulates. The primary market for the ranch is captive hunting operations, also known as shooting preserves or game ranches.
Court documents detail the yearslong conspiracy, which began back in 2013. Schubarth and five other individuals sought to create "giant sheep hybrids" by cross-breeding different species. They did this between 2013 and 2021, hoping that their new hybrid species would garner "high prices" from shooting preserves.
Schubarth brought parts of the largest sheep in the world, the Marco Polo argali sheep, from Kyrgyzstan into the United States without declaring the importation.
According to the DOJ, these sheep are native to the high elevations of the Pamir region of Central Asia and are protected internationally by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, domestically by the U.S. Endangered Species Act and are prohibited in the State of Montana to protect native sheep from disease and hybridzation.
According to court documents, "Schubarth sent genetic material from the argali parts to a lab to create cloned embryos. Schubarth then implanted the embryos in ewes on his ranch, resulting in a single, pure genetic male Marco Polo argali that he named 'Montanta Mountain King' or 'MMK'."
Federal prosecutors stated that Schubarth worked with the other unnamed co-conspirators to use MMK's semen to artificially impregnate various other species of ewes, all of which are prohibited in Montana, and created hybrid animals. Their end goal was to create a larger and more valuable species of sheep to sell to captive hunting facilities, primarily located in Texas.
Court documents show that in order to move the prohibited sheep into and out of Montana, Schubarth and the others forged veterinary inspection certificates, falsely claiming that the sheep were legally permitted species. Other times, Schubarth sold MMK semen directly to sheep breeders in other states.
Court documents also detail how Schubarth illegally obtained genetic material from wild hunted Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep in Montana and he purchased parts of those wild hunted sheep in violation of Montana law. He transported and sold the bighorn parts in interstate commerce.
Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) said in a statement, "This was an audacious scheme to create massive hybrid sheep species to be sold and hunted as trophies. In pursuit of this scheme, Schubarth violated international law and the Lacey Act, both of which protect the viability and health of native populations of animals."
In another statement, Ron Howell, Chief of Enforcement for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP), said, "The kind of crime we uncovered here could threaten the integrity of our wildlife species in Montana. This was a complex case and the partnership between us and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was critical in solving it."
Male argali sheep can weigh up to 300 pounds and have horns of nearly five feet long, making them a prized possession among some hunters. Schubarth was reportedly reached by telephone on Wednesday, March 13th by reporters, but said that his attorney advised him not to talk about the case. He said, "I would love to talk about it, but can't do it now."
According to Montana FWP spokesperson Greg Lemon, said that Schubarth's ranch was grandfathered in when the 2000 ballot initiatives passed and has continued to operate, although hunting is prohibited. Captive animal facilities where game species can be raised and hunted were banned in the State of Montana back 2000, but still remain legal in other states.
Schubarth is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11th by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Brian M. Morris for the District of Montana.
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