Daily Taos News

The new mexico game and fish department is supporting legislation that would make it a fourth-degree felony -- for poachers to leave the meat of trophy animals behind to rot. Right now, the crimes are classified as misdemeanors. With a felony conviction, offenders could face 18 months in prison and fines of up to 5-thousand-dollars. The department says tougher penalties are needed as a deterrent to stop the waste of the state's wildlife. Over the past two years, conservation officers have investigated more than 200 cases in which big game animals have been unlawfully killed and their carcasses left to rot.