Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust, The HSUS Donate Decoy to Combat Poaching in Oregon
The Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust and The Humane Society of the United States are helping to crack down on poaching in Oregon with the donation of a robotic elk decoy to the Oregon State Police Fish & Wildlife Division. The Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust presented the elk decoy on Oct. 14 to OSP.
(Media-Newswire.com) - The Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust and The Humane Society of the United States are helping to crack down on poaching in Oregon with the donation of a robotic elk decoy to the Oregon State Police Fish & Wildlife Division. The Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust presented the elk decoy on Oct. 14 to OSP.
The decoy will be available for use in wildlife enforcement statewide. It is the first robotic elk in the OSP Wildlife Enforcement Decoy program, which was established in 1991 to battle poaching. The decoy program also employs deer, antelope, bears and other wildlife decoys to prevent the illegal killing of countless Oregon wildlife.
"The Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust and The Humane Society of the United States are committed to help the OSP in their efforts to reduce poaching and other illegal activities. We appreciate their work and are honored to be able to support their efforts," said Robert Koons, executive director of the Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust.
"This donated WED elk by the Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust and The Humane Society of the United States is much appreciated and will aid in the division's mission to protect Oregon's wildlife resources from poaching," said Captain Walt Markee, director of OSP's Fish & Wildlife Division.
Using wildlife decoys puts the violator and officer together at the same time, allowing the officer to become a direct witness to the violation. The use of wildlife enforcement decoys follows strict guidelines to protect the safety of all those involved.
In Oregon, any action toward a wildlife decoy under the control of law enforcement officials is illegal if the act is consistent with the violation of applicable fish and wildlife laws. A person charged with a fish and wildlife violation involving a WED can be charged with a Class A misdemeanor ( one year in jail and a fine up to $6,250 ), a hunting license suspension of two years and restitution for damage to the WED.
The primary focus of OSP's WED program is to apprehend nighttime or closed season violators. In 2008, 225 decoy operations were conducted statewide, with troopers reporting that:
Ninety vehicles fired at the wildlife decoys. Troopers issued 143 citations. The citations included Taking Game Mammal Closed Season; Hunting Game Mammal With Aid of Artificial Light; No Big Game Tag; Aiding in a Wildlife Violation; and Felon in Possession of a Firearm ( Class C felony ). The robotic elk decoy was built by Custom Robotic Wildlife in Mosinee, Wis. at a cost of $4,000. The donation is part of a continuing program of the Trust and The HSUS, which have donated several other wildlife decoys in states across the country.
To support the program, visit wlt.org/wlt_projects_poachers_beware.asp.
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