A Montana breeder named Arthur “Jack” Schubarth, aged 81 has been sentenced to six months in prison for copying a native sheep strain and selling its pups to trophy hunters. Schubarth dumped body parts from the world’s largest sheep, the Marco Polo argali, into Kyrgyzstan. He transplanted the genes into a clone he called “Montana Mountain King” (MMK), according to court documents.
The Marco Polo argali sheep, a species found in Central Asian mountains, is endangered and thus protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Males of this species are more than 135 kg (300 lbs) and have enormous horns that exceed 1.5 meters (5 feet). These animals are not permitted in Montana in order to protect local sheep from diseases and to thwart hybridization.
Schubarth employed MMK to cross ewes on his ranch, Sun River Enterprises LLC, breeding “alternative livestock” for hunting ranges. They are sanctuaries where hunters can kill animals for cash. Schubarth was selling MMK hybrid sheep and semen to some Texas buyers, and a man from Minnesota also brought sheep to his ranch for insemination. One of the MMK children was said to have sold for $10,000.
Schubarth, speaking before the court, was ashamed that his enthusiasm for breeding had made him look for legal loopholes “I never saw my family go broke, and we are now,” he said. Along with the six-month term, Schubarth also received a $22,000 fine, which was designed to prevent others from playing around with animal genes, said Judge Brian Morris.
As of now, MMK, the sheep they have cloned, will now go to a zoo.
Work cited:Kola, Paulin. “US Man Jailed for Cloning Giant Sheep for Trophy Hunting.” BBC News, 1 Oct. 2024, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdenrg7wy5ro. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
