New York State Man Fined in North Phila. Mutilated Animal Probe
By John McDevitt
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A New York hunter has been cited by the Pennsylvania Game Commission following the discovery earlier this month of the mutilated remains of a bobcat in a vacant lot at 31st and Jefferson Streets in the Brewerytown section of North Philadelphia (see previous story).
Pennsylvania Game Commission officer Jerry Czech say the man, who admitted responsibility (another related story) but whose identity is not being disclosed, legally hunted the 55-pound animal in upstate New York last month.
"He has a New York hunting license," Czech told KYW Newsradio today. "He harvested it on the last day of the season up there."
Officer Czech say the man brought the carcass to Philadelphia, where his son lives, and they both skinned the animal for taxidermy purposes.
"So he and his son skinned it and then, when they were done with the carcass, instead of disposing of it properly, the father threw it in a vacant lot to dispose of it, which led us onto the whole case," Czech says.
Pennsylvania authorities say what makes it illegal is that the man failed to get the bobcat tagged before crossing state lines, and his improper disposal of the remains. The hunter faces a $250 to $500 fine in Pennsylvania.
The New York Department of Environmental Conservation is also investigating; additional penalties may result.