California Deer Association Offers Reward to Catch Tule Elk Poachers
OutdoorHub 10.04.13
On behalf of the California Deer Association’s (CDA’s) 6,000 members, CDA and its CDA Westside Chapter (Gustine) is offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the poacher or poachers who during the week of September 20th killed three tule elk bulls. The three bull elk were poached in the Los Banos area and left to rot.
California is the only place in the world where tule elk exist and in the 1840s these elk were driven close to extinction by gold prospectors but with the help of hunters and their funding, tule elk have been brought back from the brink of extinction and now have a number of herds throughout California. According to CDA President, Jerry Springer, “The individual or individuals who committed these crimes are stealing wildlife from all Californians – from nonhunters and hunters alike. The person or persons who committed these crimes are not hunters – they are poachers and criminals, and we expect them to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
The most useful information from witnesses would be license plate numbers, vehicle and suspect descriptions, time, location and last known direction of travel. Call the Californians Turn in Poachers and Polluters (CalTIP) line at (888) 334-2258.
At this time we have only these limited details of the poaching incident: Three dead tule elk bulls were found in close proximity of each other in the Los Banos area. After examination it was determined that two of the bulls were shot with a firearm on either September 20th or 21st and all were left in the field to rot.
