A resident of the state of Montana in the USA, 81-year-old Arthur Shubart was sentenced to 6 months in prison and fined more than 24 thousand dollars for cloning and selling giant sheep.
Points of attention
- An 81-year-old man in Montana, USA, was sentenced to 6 months in prison and fined for cloning and selling giant sheep, violating wildlife laws.
- The offender created genetic hybrids of the Marco Polo sheep breed, endangering native wildlife and ecosystems.
- The illegal cloning operation involved purchasing tissue samples from hunters and producing genetically modified sheep, leading to the spread of a dangerous disease.
- Despite admitting guilt, the offender faced a reduced sentence, raising questions about potential charges against buyers of the cloned sheep.
- This case highlights the serious threat that wildlife trade poses to native species and the importance of enforcing conservation laws.
What is known about the cloning and sale of cloned sheep by Americans
The US Ministry of Justice notes that Schubart violated the law by creating genetic hybrids of sheep, using body tissues taken from a copy of the largest species of sheep in the world.
In particular, representatives of this species of sheep can reach a weight of up to 140 kg and a height of 1.2 m with horns up to 1.5 m long.
With years of experience in artificial insemination and selective breeding, Schubart sold giant sheep clones to hunters as big game.
The man was found guilty of two felony wildlife crimes under the so-called Lacey Act, a conservation law that prohibits the trade in animals.
His actions endangered Montana's native wildlife simply because he and his accomplices wanted to make more money, said Assistant Attorney General for Environment and Natural Resources Todd Kimm of the US Department of Justice.
Schubart is known to have purchased tissue samples of Marco Polo sheep from hunters in Kyrgyzstan in 2013.
Along with at least 5 other individuals, the man sent the purchased genetic material to a laboratory to create cloned embryos, which he used to implant into sheep on his ranch.
After several failed attempts, one of these sheep eventually produced a genetically pure male Marco Polo arhar.
Schubart called him "Mountain King of Montana".
The man also crossed sheep of this breed with other sheep in order to create even bigger sheep.
To make more money, he also sold MMK semen to sheep farmers in other states.
According to the investigation, at least two cloned sheep raised by Schubart died from a dangerous chronic wasting disease called Johne's disease.
This dangerous disease can spread directly between animals or through environmental pollution.
This case illustrates the serious threat the wildlife trade poses to our native species and ecosystems. "Mr. Schubart's actions not only violated numerous laws designed to protect wildlife, but also put him at risk of introducing disease and disrupting the genetic integrity of our wild sheep populations," said Edward Grace, assistant director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Office of Enforcement.
What is known about the sentence to the American breeder for cloning sheep
It is noted that initially they wanted to sentence Shubart to 5 years in prison and a fine of 250,000 dollars.
However, the man admitted his guilt and managed to reduce the term of serving the sentence and the amount of the fine.
"I will have to work for the rest of my life to make amends for what I have done," Schubart said in court before the sentence was announced.
Whether charges will be brought against those who bought Shubart sheep clones is not yet clear. A representative of the Ministry of Justice refused to comment on this issue.
MMK is now being held by the Fish and Wildlife Service until it can be transferred to the zoo.
