Alberta Fish and Wildlife officials are taking to social media to track down a poacher who killed a bighorn sheep and left it west of Turner Valley.
The animal was discovered Sept. 23, 2015 after Cochrane Fish and Wildlife officers received a report of a bighorn sheep that was shot and left near Highway 546 west of Turner Valley.
Brendan Cox, spokesperson for Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement, said officers found the animal with its head propped up on logs in an apparent position to show it off.
“Officers believe that it may be the case that the person who poached this animal propped its head up on the log so that they could take photos of the horns,” he said.
Cox said they waited to go public with the incident to give any potential photos enough time to have been seen or shared.
He said they hope someone will recognize the setting and the animal and be able to help identify the person who shot the animal.
“We’re asking anyone that might have seen photos that look like the ones that we posted,” said Cox.
The animal had tags on both ears, a yellow tag with the number 30 on the left ear and a purple tag with the number 39 on the right ear. Cox said the tags on the animal were for research purposes to make it easier to identify them.
He said bighorn sheep are highly sought after by legitimate sport hunters.
“There’s a lot of hunters that wait a long time for the opportunity to hunt one of these animals ethically and simply abandoning it is against the law,” said Cox.
The poacher could face a stiff penalty. The maximum penalty is $50,000 or up to one-year in jail.
Anyone who has information regarding this case can call the 24-hour Report A Poacher line at 1-800-642-3800. Callers can remain anonymous and they may be eligible to receive a cash reward.
