"Montana Man Admits to Illegal Wildlife Trafficking and Cloning Giant Sheep Hybrids"

Montana ranch owner Arthur “Jack” Schubarth, 80, pleaded guilty to trafficking sheep parts from Asia to create a larger hybrid species of the threatened Marco Polo argali sheep for financial gain, violating the Lacey Act. He faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Schubarth and others aimed to sell the species to captive hunting facilities, using cloned sheep and forging veterinary inspection certificates to move the illegal sheep. The US Fish and Wildlife Service and Montana’s Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks are investigating the case, and Schubarth is set to be sentenced on July 11.