Arthur "Jack" Schubarth, an 81-year-old Montana rancher, was sentenced to six months in federal prison after illegally cloning a near-threatened Marco Polo sheep, an Asian species, and selling its hybrid offspring to captive hunting facilities across the U.S. Schubarth, who operates under Sun River Enterprises LLC, admitted to conspiracy and violating the Lacey Act, a law that bans trafficking of illegally taken wildlife, according to the Department of Justice.
From 2013 to 2021, Schubarth and associates conspired to produce a larger, hybrid sheep species aimed at fetching high prices from trophy hunters at shooting preserves. They achieved this by using genetic material from the argali, a Marco Polo subspecies with spiraling horns and significant market value, to create cloned embryos that were implanted into sheep at Schubarth Ranch in Vaughn, Montana. The cloning ultimately produced a genetically pure male argali named "Montana Mountain King" (MMK), whose offspring were distributed to various hunting preserves.
The Justice Department noted that Schubarth's actions threatened Montana’s native sheep populations with disease and genetic alteration risks, which could endanger wildlife integrity. In addition to six months in prison, Schubarth received a $20,000 fine, a $4,000 community service payment, and three years of supervised release. His sentence underscores the legal consequences for wildlife trafficking schemes, as officials stressed the importance of safeguarding biodiversity and protecting native species.
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