Reward offered after radio-collared research bobcat killed in Arizona
A $1,150 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest in the killing of a radio collared bobcat that was part of a Tucson research project, according to authorities.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department said the bobcat was found fatally shot on Sept. 28. The agency said "shots were heard" on that evening and a person of interest has been identified, but more information is needed.
Officials said the research project, which is partially funded by a state Game and Fish grant, is studying how bobcats use the wildlife-urban interface on the west side of Tucson.
"This was the act of a criminal, a person without regard for one of the state's most precious resources, its wildlife," said Regional Supervisor Raul Vega of Game and Fish in Tucson. He says it was a project that was being funded in part by the agency's Heritage Fund grant.
Department officials said the maximum penalty for illegally killing wildlife is four months in jail and a $750 fine and civil penalties could also apply.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department manages more than 800 native wildlife species.
Anyone with information about the bobcat's death is asked to contact Arizona Game and Fish Department's Operation Game Thief Hotline at 800-352-0700 and reference OGT #22-003130.
Earlier this month, conservation groups offered a $51,000 reward for tips after an investigation in Washington state revealed six wolves found dead earlier this year had been poisoned.
