Anonymous Heroes Encouraged to Call Hotline

By Tony Latham - Idaho Department of Fish and Game Enough is enough. That may have been the thought that started the Idaho Citizens Against Poaching program back in January 1981. After twenty years of enforcing Idaho's wildlife laws in the Salmon River country, it no longer amazes me to see how much wildlife "theft" goes on. Another observation that is continually reinforced is the importance of telephone calls from concerned citizens that become aware of this theft. As an example, in the fall of 2006, Fish and Game received a tip concerning a father and son duo that had been killing elk in a nearby controlled hunt and "laundering" the illegal animals by placing general elk tags on the animals. The anonymous hero in this case provided good details on the pair's past habits. Using the information, Idaho Fish and Game conservation officers were able to arrest the two with illegally killed elk and deer. Officers issued numerous charges and as a result, Donald and Michael Light of Sacramento received fines and civil penalties totaling $7,775; Donald light spent 43 days in jail and his son Michael spent 38 days. Neither will be able to hunt for well over a decade. This is just one example of the many "enforcement tips" that the conservation officers in the Salmon Region received and acted upon during the fall of 2006. Make the call this fall. The Citizens Against Poaching 24-hour hotline number is 1-800-632-5999. Callers may remain anonymous. Tony Latham is a conservation officer in the Salmon Region.