WALSENBURG, Colo. — PETA is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction on cruelty charges of the person(s) responsible for shooting three deer with blow darts in the 100 block of E. Cedar Street.
On the morning of April 1, a concerned citizen reported the injured deer to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Officers found the animals—a mature doe with a dart through the foreleg and two young does, one shot in the nose and the other shot in the neck—and managed to sedate and treat two of them. However, the deer with the neck wound ran off before she could be helped.
“Whoever did this was intentionally inflicting pain and causing these animals to suffer,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Officer Travis Sauder told PETA. “This is illegal harassment of wildlife. It’s something we take very seriously.”
“Someone out there used a family of gentle deer for target practice, leaving a terrified young doe injured and alone,” says PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange. “Every animal in Walsenburg is in danger as long as this abuser is at large, and PETA urges anyone with information to come forward immediately.”
Anyone with tips on this case should contact Sauder directly at 719-989-1027 or contact Operation Game Thief at 877-265-6648 or game.thief@state.co.us to remain anonymous.
Harassment of wildlife, hunting big game without a license, illegal taking of wildlife and reckless endangerment are possible charges in this crime, according to CPW.
Fines ranging from $750 to $3,000 and up to 6 months in jail.