‘Left to waste’: Saskatchewan conservation officers find 142 dead birds dumped in a field

(Courtesy: Sasktip)

Saskatchewan conservation officers are calling for tips after poachers killed and wasted over 100 migratory birds east of Saskatoon last week.

Conservation officers were called from Saskatoon to the Blucher area on Thursday after receiving a call through the Turn In Poachers and Polluters (TIPP) hotline, Sasktip said in a Facebook post on Saturday.

When officers arrived, they found 142 migratory birds dumped on private land near Patience Lake, located about 30 kilometres southeast of Saskatoon. According to Sasktip, the poachers didn’t have permission to access the land.

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“All edible meat had been left to waste,” Sasktip says.

“Hunters have a moral and legal obligation to harvest the meat from wildlife they hunt. The waste of over 100 migratory birds constitutes a provincial and federal offence.”

Saskatoon conservation officers are asking for the public to help identify the owner of a vehicle photographed at the scene. Readers can see it below this paragraph.

Anyone who provides information leading to the arrest or conviction of those involved could receive a $2,000 reward from Sasktip.

Sasktip is a non-profit organization that maintains a fund to reward people who help catch those who violate environmental laws. It’s not a governmental organization, but it works on behalf of the Ministry of Environment.