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
Friday 13 May 201620.19 BST Last modified on Saturday 14
May 201603.41 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 a 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 sheriff’s 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.
“Their unlawful visit ultimately culminated with at least one
of the suspects stripping off their clothes and entering the water of Devils
Hole,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
“The suspect(s) in the water
stomped around the shelf area of the critical ecosystem before swimming around
the deeper water, leaving behind a pair of dirty underwear when finished.
“The intrusion is believed to have resulted in the death of at
least one endangered Devils Hole pupfish, and fisheries biologists are trying
to ascertain the extended damage that may have been done to food sources and
egg sites which could lead to more loss of a species whose numbers are now
below the last count of 115 in existence.”
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