US Couple Who Ran A "Poaching Ring" Fined $133,000

A couple in the United States, famous for posting hunting videos for their hundreds of thousands of followers, has been fined $1,33,000 (Rs 1.08 crore) by a court in Nebraska for breaking hunting regulations, according to a report in CNN. Some of the videos Josh and Sarah Bowmar posted on their social media platforms were referenced in the court, after which they were charged with trafficking of wildlife. They escaped a prison sentence as part of a plea bargain under which the Bowmars have been told that they "shall not hunt or otherwise engage in any activities associated with hunting, limited to within the District of Nebraska," the outlet further said.

The Bowmars, along with their company, Bowmar Bowhunting, have also been placed on three-year probation and ordered to pay the amount in fines, restitution and forfeiture, CNN said.

The couple runs a YouTube channel and has an Instagram handle where videos of their hunts gather hundreds of thousands of views.

The lengthy investigation against the couple resulted in 39 convictions, according to Lincoln Journal Star. The government said that Josh, 32, and Sarah, 33, embarked on several illegal game-hunting excursions with two companies - Broken Arrow and Hidden Hills Outfitters.

The hunts mentioned in the court took place between September, 2015, and November, 2017 in which the couple killed nearly 100 animals, as per a CBS report.

The Bowmars pleaded guilty to misdemeanor conspiracy charge in October last year but four more serious charges were dropped, the outlet further said.

A total of 39 people were convicted in what is being called the largest poaching case in Nebraska's history. The New York Post said that these people ran a "poaching ring" and killed a number of animals, ranging from turkey to pronghorn through illegal means, such as baiting deer, using prohibited guns, hunting during closed season hours and taking mule deer from conservation areas.

In one of the disturbing clips, mentioned in the Nebraska District Court, Josh, a fitness trainer, is seen dispatchin a white-tailed deer with an arrow. The hunter is heard saying how the animal's "frickin' antlers" fell off after he shot it, as per the Post report.

The Iowa couplke transported these animals to Ohio and other places and by doing so, violated the Lacey Act, the United States' oldest wildlife protection statue, which prohibits "trafficking in fish, wildlife, or plants that are illegally taken, possessed, transported, or sold."