SPARKS " Nevada wildlife officials are investigating the illegal killing of three antelope that were shot multiple times and left to rot on the edge of Sparks late last week.
The buck and two does were discovered on Monday about 3 miles southeast of the Golden Eagle regional sports complex on the northeast edge of Sparks, said Dave Patula, a game warden for the Nevada Department of Wildlife who called the incident one of the "most egregious" cases of poaching he has seen in years.
"Not only did they shoot these animals out of season with no valid tag, they also just left these magnificent animals to rot. There is no reason or excuse for this kind of crime," Patula said Monday.
Wardens recovered bullets from several different firearms and there were multiple bullets in each animal, indicating more than one person was responsible, he said. He said they began investigating after a concerned citizen called the department's Operation Game Thief.
James Herndon, game warden captain and the head of Operation Game Thief, said they want to question four men who were seen leaving the area in an older four-door pickup truck Thursday evening. They are not considered suspects at this time but are "persons of interest."
"We are serious about solving this crime," Herndon said. "Anyone willing to slaughter an animal like this for fun, as a thrill kill, is the kind of person we want stopped."
Operation Game Thief's citizen's board is offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to the conviction of those responsible for this crime.
Callers can remain anonymous while contacting OGT at 1-800-992-3030.
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On the Net:
Nevada Department of Wildlife: www.ndow.org.