Wildlife crimes occur in the state of Idaho just like other states. For example, three wildlife guides are facing potential prison sentences and fines up to $250,000. They’re accused of running an illegal mountain lion hunting operation. At Least a dozen mountain Lions have been found dead so far. Their jury trial is scheduled to begin on Nov. 18 in federal court in Pocatello.
Idaho Fish and Game conservation officers rely on citizen reports to investigate these violations. Idaho Fish and Game recently released a video outlining how citizens can be good witnesses.
“You can be a great witness by documenting wildlife crimes when you see them, that helps out the responding officers tremendously,” said Jacob Berl, senior conservation officer, in the video.
Officer Berl also said that taking footage and documenting GPS locations of where crimes occur can be incredibly helpful.
“Secondly, if you can focus on the suspect by getting identifiable information, like a license plate or vehicle information, that's also incredibly helpful,” Berl said.
Identifiable information is critical to solving wildlife crimes. Without it, crimes that occur in isolated locations might never be reported or even noticed. It truly is a team effort between conservation officers and citizens.
"Lastly, if and when you do see a wildlife crime, if you can report that crime as quickly as possible, that's very helpful to responding officers,” he said. “That delay in reporting the crime oftentimes makes it so that we're not able to make the case.”
To report a wildlife crime in the state of Idaho call the Citizens against Poaching Hotline at 1-800-632-5999.
To watch the video, visit the Idaho Fish and Game website at idfg.Idaho.gov.