Okay, don't love what he was creating the sheep for but I'm not sure I understand why this is such a big deal? We change animals all the time (looking at you, French Bulldog owners), unfortunately often to their detriment.
This crime had no such direct victims. The two are not very comparable IMO.
Who is the victim in this situation? What actual harm was done?
He didn’t import an invasive species, he imported PARTS.
I do not see any victims of his actions.
Also this is for a wild game ranch, for hunting. These ranches have extra high fences that surround the entire property to keep all the animals contained. Even if he did import the whole sheep, he has a strong economic incentive to contain them.
This exact thing is perfectly legal in Texas, happens all the time, and causes no problems.
I watched that movie!
"It's OK, I killed the endangered animal first!" isn't likely to be a successful defense argument.
> I do not see any victims of his actions.
As with drunk driving, you are not required to; we're allowed to act before widespread ecological disaster ensues.
> This exact thing is perfectly legal in Texas, happens all the time, and causes no problems.
The Endangered Species Act applies in Texas too.
Yes, in order to clone DNA from them in order to breed hybrid animals. Did you not read the article?
> I do not see any victims of his actions.
It's generally better to prevent a catastrophe than to wait for one to roll around and harm a bunch of people before you take action.
Pay attention to the wording here. The charges aren't about the hybrid per-se, they're about wildlife trafficking.