A Montana rancher has pleaded guilty to felony charges of wildlife trafficking and conspiracy to traffic wildlife after illegally using tissue and testicles from wild sheep to breed 'giant' hybrids for sale to private hunting preserves in Texas. The rancher, 80-year-old Arthur 'Jack' Schubarth of Vaughn, Montana, appeared before a federal judge in Missoula and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count.
According to court documents and federal prosecutors, Schubarth conspired with at least five other individuals in a decade-long effort to create hybrid sheep species that would fetch higher prices in hunting preserves. He used tissue from a Marco Polo argali sheep killed in Kyrgyzstan to procure cloned embryos, resulting in a pure Marco Polo argali sheep named 'Montana Mountain King.' Schubarth then used semen from Montana Mountain King to breed larger and more valuable sheep species.
In a separate incident, Schubarth paid for testicles from a trophy-sized Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep killed in Montana, extracted the semen, and used it to breed large bighorn sheep and hybrids with the argali species. Male argali sheep can weigh over 300 pounds with horns up to 5 feet long, making them highly sought after by hunters.
Assistant U.S. Attorney General Todd Kim described Schubarth's actions as an 'audacious scheme' to create massive hybrid sheep species for trophy hunting. The defendant violated the Lacey Act, which restricts wildlife trafficking and the sale of falsely labeled wildlife.
As part of a plea deal, Schubarth agreed to cooperate in the ongoing investigation and quarantine any sheep containing Marco Polo argali genetics. Montana Mountain King is now in the custody of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and federal officials may inspect and neuter the animals if necessary.
While captive animal facilities for game species are banned in Montana, Schubarth's 215-acre ranch, licensed as an alternative livestock facility, was grandfathered in and continues to operate under certain restrictions. Hunting is prohibited on the ranch, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesperson Greg Lemon.
