Prison for an American who wanted to create a line of mouflons

(Keystone-ATS) An American breeder, who attempted to create a hybrid species of giant mouflon by importing genetic material from Central Asia, was sentenced Monday to six months in prison. The goal was to resell hybrid animals for hunting.

The 81-year-old man was found guilty of illegally importing DNA material from an Argali sheep, the world’s largest mountain sheep, from Kyrgyzstan for the purpose of illicit cloning and insemination, the US department said. of justice.

Prized for their meat and their enormous spiral horns, these mouflons, called Marco Polo in homage to the Venetian explorer who met him in the 13th century, can reach 200 kg for an adult male.

“Such actions aimed at creating hybrid animals are as artificial as they are illegal,” denounced one of the prosecutors in charge of the case, in a press release announcing the conviction.

« Montana Mountain King »

Owner of a ranch in the state of Montana, in the northwest of the country, the breeder used DNA sampling to have embryos cloned by a genetic laboratory, which he implanted into ewes in his flock. This resulted in the birth on May 15, 2017 of a male argali sheep, which he named “Montana Mountain King”, aka MMK.

With the help of at least five unidentified accomplices, the man then used MMK semen to inseminate ewes with other species of sheep in order to achieve crossbreeding. The goal was to create larger and therefore more profitable animals in order to sell them to hunting reserves, particularly in Texas, in the southern United States, where customers pay to shoot captive game.

With his machinations, the rancher “threatened Montana’s native wildlife,” the prosecutor noted in the release. He violated international laws that preserve the viability and health of animal populations in their natural state, as well as the Lacey Act, an American text which prohibits the trade in nature products obtained illegally or subject to fraudulent declarations.

The breeder had pleaded guilty to two counts each carrying a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. In addition to his six months in prison, he was ordered to pay three fines, for a total amount of $26,200.