Wednesday, January 14, 2009

More bad snowmobilers in Wisconsin

57 ducks run over by snowmobile in Wisconsin
Updated: 1/14/2009 5:36:39 PM

FOND DU LAC, Wis. -- Investigators are trying to find a snowmobiler who ran over and killed 57 mallard ducks on a river near Fond du Lac.

The Department of Natural Resources says the ducks were killed Tuesday and found in a hole in the ice and on both sides of it in the Fond du Lac River.

Warden Supervisor George Protogere says it appears a single snowmobiler performed two passes of water skipping over the ice hole and hit the ducks. The warden calls the killer a person with no concern for life.

The incident comes as public outrage grows about another thrill killing near Waupaca. A group of snowmobilers herded and ran over five deer last weekend. Four were killed, and one was euthanized.


(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
All Material Copyright 2009 KARE-11. All Rights Reserved.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Appalling attack on deer in Wisconsin

Snowmobilers round up and run over deer
By ROBERT IMRIE , Associated Press

January 12, 2009

WAUSAU, Wis. - A group of snowmobilers in central Wisconsin herded and killed four deer and severely injured a fifth in what a warden called a senseless act of cruelty on Monday.

No arrests have been made in the Saturday morning incident about five miles south of Waupaca, said Ted Dremel, a state Department of Natural Resources warden.

There's talk of closing all snowmobile trails in Waupaca County until the "rogue snowmobilers" are caught, he said.

"It is senseless. I don't know how else to describe it," Dremel said. "It is probably something they thought was fun or humorous at the time. They did purposely run over these deer. The tracks in the snow were in a circular manner, almost looking like they were chasing the deer back to other snowmobile partners."

Randy Yorkson, who farms the land, said people cannot believe what happened.

"I am going to guess it is somebody who left a bar. They probably had been using that trail before, knowing the deer were out there," he said. "This is just some yahoos who don't have any common sense."

Landowner Virginia Niemuth, 80, immediately shut off access to her property, closing five miles of the main snowmobile trail across Waupaca County.

"There's sick people out there," Niemuth said. "I used to love to snowmobile, but this is too much."

Dremel believes three or four snowmobiles were involved in a roundup of deer in a moonlit alfalfa field where 30 to 40 animals were known to feed. Witnesses reported hearing snowmobiles in the area about 3:30 a.m., he said.

Three deer were found dead in the field. A snowmobile stopped atop one and ripped open its stomach, Dremel said. A fourth deer with broken legs was euthanized.

The fifth deer was dragged from the field and tied to a tree about 25 feet from a road. Investigators think someone may have planned to return for that deer, Dremel said.

"It looked like the deer wrapped itself around the tree and choked itself to death," he said.

Dremel said he has never heard of this kind of "cowboy-style" attack on deer with snowmobiles.

"Usually, it is an accident — a deer standing in a trail and a snowmobiler can't avoid it," he said.

The dead deer included two bucks and three does. One was a fawn.

Investigators have no suspects. Some snowmobile clubs have offered $4,000 in rewards for information leading to arrests, Dremel said. Information can be phoned into the DNR's tip line at 1-800-TIP-WDNR.

"This is not characteristic of the snowmobile community in Wisconsin," DNR Chief Warden Randy Stark said in Madison. "Obviously, we are looking to get any public assistance we can in identifying who is responsible for this."

___

On the Net:

Department of Natural Resources: http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/

© 2009 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

2009 Minnesota Humane Lobby Day

2009 Minnesota Humane Lobby Day
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
9:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.
Minnesota State Capitol Building, Great Hall
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155

R.S.V.P. for this event

On February 11, animal advocates will gather in St. Paul for the 2009 Minnesota Humane Lobby Day. Please join us for this exciting opportunity to meet directly with your elected officials or their staff about legislation that will significantly impact animals. Click here for details and to R.S.V.P.

In order to prepare you for your meetings, we will give you tips for lobbying and an overview of pending animal legislation. Then, along with other animal advocates, you will be able to meet with your legislators and let them know about your support of humane legislation.

Face to face meetings are one of the most effective ways to get involved and make a concrete difference in the lives of animals. We hope you can join us on Wednesday, February 11, and experience how you can be an effective animal advocate.
Feel free to pass this information on to others in Minnesota who may be interested in joining us. This event is free of charge, but an R.S.V.P. is requested to attend.

Click here to R.S.V.P. now.
Hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

Jill Fritz
Minnesota State Director
The Humane Society of the United States