A Snowmobiler and 57 Ducks

UPDATE, January 15, 2009: Man claims involvement in killing of ducks
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This story is disturbing. Only a sick individual would kill 57 ducks by running over them with a snowmobile.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Authorities are searching for a snowmobiler who apparently ran over and killed 57 mallard ducks Tuesday on the Fond du Lac River, just days after five deer were killed when snowmobilers herded them together and ran them over Friday night in Waupaca County.

The ducks were found in an area of open water and on the ice of the river near Lake Winnebago in Fond du Lac, said George Protogere, a DNR warden supervisor.

Tracks in the snow show that the snowmobiler skipped over the open water, turned around and skipped over the water again, Protogere said.

The mallards - 37 drakes and 20 hens - were killed Tuesday between 9 a.m. and early afternoon, Protogere said.

"It's horrible," said Bill Schumann, president of the Association of Wisconsin Snowmobile Clubs. "It's disgusting. I don't know what's going on out there, what people are thinking. There's something drastic going wrong here. This is not what snowmobiling is all about."

The deer killed in Waupaca County were found about 9 a.m. Saturday by a farmer who rents land in the Town of Lind. Investigators suspect three or four snowmobiles were involved.

...Schumann, the president of the state association of snowmobile clubs, said those responsible for the deer and duck killings must be punished.

"You have to go after them; you have to get them arrested and get them convicted," Schumann said. "I'd like to take their snowmobile away, take their privileges away and see them get some jail time."

A $9,000 reward fund has been established by two snowmobile groups for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the people who killed the deer in Waupaca County. No reward has been established in the duck killing.

Anyone with information on the deer killing is asked to call the Waupaca County Sheriff's Department at (715) 258-4466.

Anyone with information about either case is asked to call the DNR's violation hotline at (800) 847-9367. Callers may remain anonymous.

"Thrill killing" should not be tolerated. The persons responsible should be punished in a manner that reflects the seriousness of the offense.

Anyone capable of killing 57 ducks and five deer this way is certainly capable of committing other acts of cruelty, toward animals and people.