PHOTO BY OSP
Oregon State Police (OSP) Fish & Wildlife Division is asking for the public’s help for information to identify the suspect involved in the late March shooting of a fawn deer in Douglas County.
A reward was increased after The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and The Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust (HSWLT) offered up to $5,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the fawn’s death. The reward adds to the original offer of up to $500 by the Oregon Hunters Association Turn-in-Poachers (TIP) Reward Program.
According to the OSP, on March 28, t approximately 10 p.m., someone drove near the 1600 block of Melqua Road about 1.5 miles east of Melrose Store, shot a fawn deer and left it in a ditch along the side of the road. An OSP Fish & Wildlife trooper responded and is conducting an investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Turn-in-Poacher TIP line at 1-800-452-7888 or Senior Trooper Don Frerichs at (541) 440-3334 ext 4540 or email don.frerichs@state.or.us. More information about the Turn-In-Poachers Program is available at the OSP Fish & Wildlife website.
“Shooting a defenseless fawn and dumping it in a ditch to rot is cruel and unacceptable,” said Scott Beckstead, Oregon senior state director for The HSUS. “The person who illegally shot this baby deer needs to be held accountable for his or her action. We applaud the Oregon State Police for their tireless work to investigate this shooting.”
Questions regarding the increased reward off from The Humane Society of the United States should be directed to Kaitlin Sanderson at (301) 721-6463 or ksanderson@humanesociety.org.
