July 17, 2012

Man Steals Semen from Texas "Diablo" Buck, Faces Jail Time and $150,000 Fine - 4

We were all taught at a young age that stealing isn’t good. Some people just don’t learn. People steal everything from clothes to cars, but what about deer semen? Ever think that someone would steal that?

An Illinios man has pleaded guilty to illegally obtaining deer semen from a Texas buck, reports chron.com. In February 2007, fifty-five year old Raymond Favero obtained 184 straws of whitetail deer semen from a Texas buck named “Diablo” that Favero knew had been illegally taken out of Texas. Favero’s semen collection from Diablo was valued at a hefty $92,000. The following year he took 110 straws of semen from another buck, “Thunderstruck.”

This is not a matter that is taken lightly by the Texas Parks and Wildlife and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, as the illegal transport of game across state lines can spread diseases like Chronic Wasting Disease -- the equivalent of mad cow disease in deer.
Favero now faces up to five years in prison.

If Favero comes to an agreement with prosecutors he could serve five years of probation and pay a fine of $150,000 to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Lacey Act Reward Account, and an additional $50,000 in restitution to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation.

Unfortunately, there are others like Favero out there who put our wild deer populations at incredible risk by taking animals across state lines. An outbreak of CWD in the wild could wipe out an entire deer population as well as have serious financial impacts on recreational hunting -- a $2.5 billion industry in Texas alone.

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