AZGFD to offer reward for information in poaching of bighorn near Buckeye

PHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Department is offering a reward of up to $1,500 for information that leads to an arrest for the poaching of a mature desert bighorn sheep ram south of Buckeye last week.

Officers said they have reason to suspect five Asian males were seen leaving the scene around 8:30 p.m. on July 10 in a gray sedan, and a black sport utility vehicle may also be involved.

“We rely heavily on the assistance of the public in coming forward with information, and we are hopeful that a tip could lead us to those responsible for this heinous criminal act,” Ryan Randall, wildlife manager of the department, said in a press release.

“This is a horrible waste of the state’s most precious resource, its wildlife.”

The Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society is offering an additional reward of $1,000 for information that leads to a conviction.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Operation Game Thief hotline at 800-352-0700 and reference OGT #21-002114, which can also be done anonymously.

No additional information was available at this time.

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