Hunting & Trapping Digest 2008-2009 - (Page A2) Penalty Increases N FEBRUARY 2008, the PGC Bureau of Wildlife Protection delivered testimony before the House Game and Fisheries Committee in support of House Bill 2205, which is designed to increase fines and penalties for wildlife violations. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Edward Staback, chairman of the House Game and Fisheries Committee. Increasing penalties for serious violations is a primary objective in the Game Commission’s Strategic Plan, and this bill is the first comprehensive piece of legislation to increase Game and Wildlife Code Penalties since 1987. Many people do not realize that many of the threats to wildlife that existed a century or more ago, such as an illegal commercial market for wildlife, are still threats today. Poaching is prevalent throughout the Commonwealth, not only in rural areas, but in suburban and urban areas as well, with major offenders prosecuted each year. In fact, in each of the past three years, more than 1,000 prosecutions directly related to the poaching of big game have been made. The current low penalties create a public and judicial sentiment that wildlife related crimes are not important and, in turn, are actually counterproductive to wildlife protection efforts because they do not create an effective deterrent to chronic offenders. A few examples of some major cases PGC officers have uncovered: Pending deer at night were in possession of a firearm with a homemade silencer attached, indicating it was used primarily for poaching. The subjects had a track record, having been previously charged seven times by six different officers. • Another offender was convicted of 50 violations over an 11-year period. Forty of the crimes were for poaching wildlife, primarily white-tailed deer with trophy class antlers. Fines assessed and license revocations (up to the year 2060) had no deterrent effect on this subject. • Another offender was charged with 86 counts of unlawful taking of wildlife, primarily deer and turkey, resulting from a search warrant served by officers while investigating information received from the public about a 10-point buck poached at night. Over 100 pounds of antlers, 54 turkey beards and a diary of criminal activities detailing the poaching of more than 300 big game animals over a 22-year period were found. The poacher, who began when he was 13, is on license revocation until 2094, but is suspected to still be poaching. • Yet another chronic poacher was charged with killing 126 bucks. However, under current law, because the charges are only summary offenses, there is no possibility of imprisonment. The causes of poaching vary, but the notion that most poachers are committing their offenses to provide food for their families is a myth. Poach- By Richard Palmer, Director, Bureau of Wildlife Protection I • Two subjects apprehended for poaching
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