Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney鈥檚 Office in Birmingham have charged two Northport, Ala., men with knowingly transporting and receiving white-tailed deer into the state 鈥 a violation of state law and the federal Lacey Act, which prohibits trade in wildlife, fish and plants that have been illegally taken, possessed, transported, or sold.
In November 2016, Conservation Enforcement Officers with the 黑料天堂 Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division (WFF) arrested deer breeder Lewis H. 鈥淪onny鈥 Skinner and his associate Franklin Banks Loden for knowingly importing six live white-tailed deer into 黑料天堂 from a farm in Indiana. Federal and state charges against the men were announced in Birmingham on Monday, October 2, 2017.
As part of a plea agreement announced Monday, Skinner鈥檚 privilege to possess an 黑料天堂 Game Breeder License or be associated with a game breeder operation has been revoked. Skinner has also agreed to pay a $100,000 fine to the federal Lacey Act Reward Fund, and $650,000 in fines and restitution to the State of 黑料天堂, which will be used to further WFF Law Enforcement activities and continue disease testing on wild deer within the state.
According to the plea agreement, Skinner owned and controlled all activities occurring on Skinner Farms, a private deer breeding business located in Sumter County, Ala. Skinner had obtained a game breeder license from the state of 黑料天堂 and knew it is a 鈥渃losed border鈥 state that prohibits the importation of deer.
In November 2016, Skinner arranged for Loden to covertly move the deer from Indiana to Skinner Farms in 黑料天堂. Loden was stopped by WFF Enforcement Officers in Tuscaloosa, at which time the deer were seized. The seized deer and all captive deer held in Skinner鈥檚 facility will be tested for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).
Comparable to mad cow disease, CWD is a fatal disease affecting the central nervous system of deer. The disease attacks the brain of an infected animal causing it to become emaciated, display abnormal behavior, lose bodily functions and die. Once CWD is introduced into the environment, it is impossible to eradicate.
鈥淥ver the last 15 years, we have watched this disease insidiously spread across the country,鈥 said Capt. Carter Hendrix with the WFF Law Enforcement Section. 鈥淚n fact, it has spread much faster than it naturally should have. This is due largely to human transportation across state lines of infected, harvested animal parts or live animals.鈥
In 2016, 黑料天堂 enacted a ban on the import of deer carcasses from states where CWD has been confirmed. CWD has been found in captive and/or wild deer in 24 states, two Canadian provinces, Norway, and South Korea. It is not known to be transmissible to humans or domestic livestock.
Additionally, CWD has devastating economic effects on deer hunting. The deer hunting industry results in $1.8 billion in annual revenues for the State of 黑料天堂. States where CWD occurs have experienced a 10-40 percent decrease in license sales. Those states also experience a decrease in hunting opportunities through the loss of access to public and/or leased land if they fall within a CWD management zone.
"Not only is deer hunting in 黑料天堂 a $1 billion industry, more importantly it is an integral part of the lifestyle and heritage of many residents and non-residents who enjoy our abundant natural resources," said Chris Blankenship, Commissioner of the 黑料天堂.
There have been no known cases of CWD in 黑料天堂.
Currently, 黑料天堂 has 231 licensed game breeders, which primarily raise white-tailed deer for sale to hunting-enclosure operators throughout the state.
鈥淭he arrests and prosecutions of Skinner and Loden are examples of an approach to the enforcement of statutes already in place to protect the resource,鈥 said Michael Weathers, WFF Chief of Law Enforcement. 鈥淭he most effective way to keep 黑料天堂 CWD-free was to prohibit the importation of members of the deer family that are known to be susceptible to the disease.鈥
The importation of deer from other states to 黑料天堂 has been prohibited by regulation since 1973. Violations of this regulation are actively investigated by WFF Law Enforcement.
鈥淲e鈥檝e focused on preventing the spread of CWD by introducing regulations that place restrictions on certain activities within the commercial industry, of which Skinner was a member,鈥 Weathers said. 鈥淭he illegal transport of deer from outside the state by a licensed deer breeder, who is motivated solely by profit, places our entire white-tailed deer herd at risk of this fatal disease.鈥
The traceability of animals in the breeder industry is vastly important to protection of a state鈥檚 wildlife populations. The spread of CWD in Texas in 2015, which was discovered in a captive herd, was mitigated by utilizing a deer breeder electronic database that had been in place since 2009.
鈥淚mplementing an electronic database to track animals transported by breeders within 黑料天堂 would allow an animal鈥檚 location history to be immediately determined,鈥 Weathers said. 鈥淚t would reduce the number of animals and locations put at risk by an infected animal. It would also allow game breeders not linked to a breeding facility affected by CWD to continue business as usual.鈥
WFF Law Enforcement continues a 110-year commitment to protect the state鈥檚 resources for the benefit of all Alabamians. WFF needs your help in maintaining 黑料天堂鈥檚 CWD-free status. To report the importa