Three men face charges for killing tiny, endangered fish in drunken rampage
Source: The Guardian
Three men face charges for killing tiny, endangered fish in drunken rampage
Devils Hole pupfish, of which there are fewer than 115 in existence,
found dead after men were seen entering fenced-off area of national
park
Oliver Milman
Friday 13 May 2016 20.19 BST
Three men have been arrested over a drunken rampage that resulted in the death of a member of one of the rarest fish species in the world.
The three suspects have been charged by police after allegedly breaking into a fenced-off protected area of Death Valley National Park in Nevada on 30 April. The men stomped around in the water of Devils Hole, strewing vomit, beer cans and boxer shorts over the area, and tearing up the habitat of the Devils Hole pupfish, one of the rarest fish in the world. One of the fish was later found dead.
According to the National Parks Service, the men fired at gun at least 10 times at gate locks, a motion sensor and several signs. Sensitive scientific monitoring equipment was also damaged. Three beer cans were left behind, as well as the vomit of one of the men and the boxer shorts of another.
The Nye County sheriffs office said it has charged Steven Schwinkendorf, 29, Edgar Reyes, 35, and Trenton Sargent, 26, with the killing of an endangered species, destruction of property, trespassing and unlawful possession of a firearm. They face the possibility of fines of up to $50,000 and a year in prison.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/may/13/pupfish-dead-death-valley-national-park-nevada-arrests-drunk