18 men from 4 states, including Wisconsin, charged with hunting in
fenced enclosures
Authorities have seized dozens of animals and charged 18 men from
four states with releasing trapped foxes, coyotes and bobcats into
fenced enclosures to be chased down by dogs.
Associated Press
Last update: November 13, 2007 – 11:23 AM
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Authorities have seized dozens of animals and
charged 18 men from four states with releasing trapped foxes, coyotes
and bobcats into fenced enclosures to be chased down by dogs.
The suspects - 15 from Alabama and one each from Florida, North
Carolina and Wisconsin - face jail time and fines of as much as
$225,000, said Allan Andress, chief of enforcement for the Alabama
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
One of the men accused of illegally importing animals into Alabama,
Harold Widder of Antigo, Wis., denied trafficking in wild animals.
"These are ranch-raised animals,'' he said.
Widder faces 45 counts of illegal importation of animals, officials
said. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 30 days in jail and he
could be fined $225,000.
The arrests on Monday capped a two-year undercover investigation and
resulted in the seizure of 55 foxes, 25 coyotes and two bobcats, Andress
said.
Trappers allegedly captured animals and transported them to Alabama
to be placed into "fox pens,'' which ranged in size from about 40 acres
to several hundred acres, Andress said. Operators charged dog owners
about $25 to release a dog into the pen, where the animal then chases
down a fox or coyote for sport.
"It's simply for the pleasure of the hunter to have his hounds do
well,'' Andress said.
No patrons of the operations were arrested, Andress said.
Operating a fox pen isn't illegal as long as the prey gets inside on
its own and has a reasonable chance to escape, Andress said. But
capturing animals and placing them inside the pen to be hunted is
illegal.
Officials said the investigation included agents from Georgia,
Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
