Agents busy on poaching cases

Washington Fish and Wildlife agents have had more than they can handle with wildlife crimes in Eastern Washington the past few weeks.

“We’re understaffed and overwhelmed,” said Mike Whorton, regional enforcement supervisor in Spokane. “That just makes people mad at us when we can’t respond quickly to their calls about poaching or trespassing.”

However, the agents are pressing some significant cases.

Based on tips about illegal activity, the agency ran an undercover operation involving a Spokane County taxidermist who accepted from a customer a grizzly bear, which is a federally protected species.

Charges have not been filed.

Central Washington wildlife officials have identified five suspects in a string of poaching incidents in Kittitas County.

The case involves the killing of at least eight mule deer and three elk for their antlers, with their carcasses left to rot.

Officer Mike Sprecher says the poaching case is the worst he’s seen.

Sprecher said the suspects are from Kittitas and Yakima counties, and are ages 18 to 40.

Rich Landers

MARINE MAMMALS

Dog sniffs scat for orca study

An apparent decline in Puget Sound’s killer whales may be due to a lack of food, such as king salmon.

University of Washington researchers have been tracking down orca scat in the water with the help of a specially trained dog, a black Lab named Tucker, employed the past few summers on a research boat around the San Juan Islands.

Researchers say hormone levels in the scat indicate a nutrition deficit.

Seven missing orcas this summer dropped the number in Puget Sound to 83, the fewest in five years.

Associated Press

BIRDWATCHING

Join Christmas Bird Counts

Audubon chapters throughout the Inland Northwest – and all of North America – are inviting volunteers to join in their century-old tradition of taking a bird census during the holiday period.

Following are dates and leader contacts for Christmas Bird Count groups forming in this area.

Dec. 14:

•Coeur d’Alene, Shirley Sturts, s.sturts@verizon.net.

•Sandpoint, Rich Del Carlo, delcarlo@televar.com

Dec. 20:

•Moscow-Pullman, Dave Holick (ID side), daveholick@moscow.com or Tom Weber (WA side), tweber@wsu.edu

•Colville - Barbara Harding, Barbara_Harding@fws.gov

Dec. 28:

•Spokane, Alan McCoy, ahm2352@gmail.com.

Jan. 2:

•Spirit Lake, Shirley Sturts.

Rich Landers