US man used animal tissue and testicles to breed 'giant' sheep for sale to hunting preserve

Arthur “Jack” Schubarth, an 80-year-old rancher from Vaughn, Montana, has pleaded guilty to felony charges of wildlife trafficking and conspiracy to traffic wildlife. Federal prosecutors revealed that Schubarth engaged in an elaborate scheme to breed "giant" sheep hybrids using tissue and testicles from wild sheep killed by hunters in central Asia and the U.S. These hybrids were intended for sale to private hunting preserves in Texas.

Court documents outline a conspiracy that began in 2013, involving Schubarth and at least five others. Their objective was to create hybrid sheep by cross-breeding different species, aiming to fetch high prices from hunting preserves where individuals pay to hunt captive trophy game animals.

Schubarth obtained biological tissue from a hunter who killed a wild sheep in Kyrgyzstan, belonging to the Marco Polo argali sheep species, the largest in the world. He then procured cloned embryos from a lab, implanting them in a ewe to produce a pure Marco Polo argali sheep, which he named "Montana Mountain King." Semen from this sheep was used to impregnate other ewes, resulting in larger and more valuable species of sheep, including hybrids.

These actions violated international conventions, as argali sheep are protected as a threatened species. Additionally, importing them into Montana is prohibited to prevent disease transmission and hybridization with native sheep species.

In 2019, Schubarth obtained testicles from a trophy-sized Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep killed in Montana, extracting semen to breed large bighorn sheep and hybrids with the argali species.

Assistant U.S. Attorney General Todd Kim described Schubarth's actions as part of an audacious scheme to create massive hybrid sheep species for trophy hunting. The defendant violated the Lacey Act, which restricts wildlife trafficking and the sale of falsely labeled wildlife.

Under the plea deal, further charges against Schubarth will be dropped pending his cooperation in the ongoing investigation. Montana Mountain King is now in the custody of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Schubarth has agreed to quarantine any other sheep with Marco Polo argali genetics or wild-harvested bighorn sheep.

Sentencing for Schubarth is scheduled for July 11 before U.S. District Judge Brian Morris.

19.03.24

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