State wildlife regulators might have a couple of Arlington-area wildcat breeders by the tail.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife is investigating whether the breeders sold wildcat kittens in the state, which is illegal in Washington, and whether they are operating an unlicensed game farm at their home.
Fish and Wildlife Department official Bill Hebner said he will likely recommend that the state file charges against the couple.
| Bobcats, native to much of North America, generally weigh 16 to 28 pounds, live 12 to 13 years and have litters of one or two kittens. They generally eat birds, rabbits and rodents, but can take down prey as large as a deer.
Source: Defenders of Wildlife |
“We have probable cause to believe there was a violation,” said Hebner, who works out of the agency’s Mill Creek office. “We’re still under the investigation, trying to determine the full size and scope of the whole … business.”
Neither the couple nor their attorney could be reached for comment Wednesday. The couple keep their wildcats in cages outside their house north of Arlington.
State investigators started looking into the operation after Canadian officials seized a bobcat from a home in Ontario. The home’s tenant said he bought the bobcat from the couple over the Internet, a search warrant affidavit says.
The tenant showed Jackson several documents, including an Air Canada bill indicating that the man had shipped the bobcat on Dec. 3, 2003, from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to Ontario, the affidavit says.
A Fish and Wildlife Department inspector, acting as an undercover buyer, contacted the couple and arranged to buy a bobcat kitten. The inspector paid the couple a $500 deposit to reserve the animal, officials said. After waiting several weeks, however, investigators decided to scrap their sting and search the property, the affidavit says.
They searched the property earlier this month and confiscated phone records, computer disks, sales and veterinarian records, a laptop computer and other items.
In Washington, people can only own wild animals if they can prove they bought them legally in states where it’s legal to sell them. The rules are strict to protect people from taking animals from the wild, then selling them, Hebner said.
“We do not believe wildlife should be kept in captivity,” he said. “They do not make good pets.”
Lisa Wathne, a captive animal specialist with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, agrees.
“No private owner can provide the needs of a wild animal, and you’ll find that most wild animals kept in captivity are basically denied everything that is natural to them, and generally are living in pretty abysmal situations,” Wathne said.
She also said the couple’s wildcats might have to be to euthanized if the couple lose them over legal troubles.
“There are so many exotic animals in the trade right now, the accredited sanctuaries are so full of diversity, they cannot accommodate all the animals that are taken from these situations,” Wathne said.
Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.
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