Reports from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of Agriculture

Montana Rancher Gets Six Months for Illegally Cloning 'Montana Mountain King' Hybrid Sheep

Sep 30, 2024, 10:38 PM

An 81-year-old Montana rancher was sentenced to six months in federal prison for illegally using tissue and testicles from large Argali sheep hunted in Central Asia and the United States to create hybrid sheep, nicknamed the 'Montana Mountain King,' for captive trophy hunting in Texas and Minnesota. The man cloned the sheep to breed large specimens for trophy hunts, violating federal wildlife laws. The scheme involved importing genetic materials from protected species, raising concerns about the illegal cloning and hybridization of endangered animals for commercial gain.