var _sf_startpt=(new Date()).getTime() Pet-Abuse.Com - Animal Abuse Case Details: 19 geese run down by snowmobile - Cary, IL (US)
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Case ID: 6551
Classification: Vehicular
Animal: bird (wildlife)
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19 geese run down by snowmobile
Cary, IL (US)

Incident Date: Saturday, Dec 10, 2005
County: McHenry

Disposition: Open

Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!

The snowmobile driver who killed 19 geese on December 10, 2005, will face steeper charges if the offender does not surrender soon, Illinois Conservation Police said.

Police found the carcasses on the Fox River between Rawson Bridge Road and Beach Street in Cary, after a person apparently killed them with a snowmobile overnight, Illinois Conservation Police Officer Richard Riedel said.

The driver could be sentenced to as much as six months in jail and a fine of more than $2,000, he said. "But if they turn themselves in, we're willing to make a deal with the state's attorney," Riedel said.

Incidents like these give the snowmobile community a bad reputation, Northeastern Illinois Snowmobile Club Association Spokesperson John Lindberg said. The association advocates safety awareness about snowmobiling and advocates them as a family activity.

"I don't condone snowmobiling on the river," he said. "The clubs work hard to get permission from landowners to use [their land for] the marked trails." Killing the geese is a serious crime and could be prosecuted as a federal offense, Riedel said. The birds are protected under the Migrant Bird Treaty, which is an agreement between North American countries to preserve ducks, geese and other birds as they move around each year.

"The laws are there to protect the species," Riedel said. "If they become threatened, then they become extinct."

Police plan to post flyers next week in bars along the river and other hangouts, urging anyone who knows about the incident to come forward, he said. Neighbors along the river were appalled to see carnage on the ice and assumed that it was the work of a drunken driver who killed the geese as a prank. It's more likely that the killing was an accident, Riedel said.

Snowmobile drivers often travel swiftly on rivers to ensure that they don't fall through the ice, he said. When they travel at a high speed they may not see a flock of birds clustered in a patch of open water until it is too late to turn. Vision would be especially restricted if the driver was wearing a helmet in the dark, Riedel said.

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