Big Sky photographer convicted of illegally feeding bighorn sheep
Unfortunate news from the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks today: Ryan Molde, 35, was convicted in Gallatin County District Court of illegally feeding bighorn sheep along Big Sky Road in Big Sky. According to FWP spokeswoman Mel Frost, Molde was feeding the animals hay to draw them in for the purpose of photographing them with Lone Peak in the background.
Molde was selling the images to clients in Big Sky.
FWP said in a press release that Molde had been issued a written warning by the department for similar behavior in 2010. The feeding of game animals is illegal under Montana law. Offenders could be charged with a misdemeanor, which carries a maximum fine of $1,000, six months in jail, and potential loss of privileges to hunt, fish or trap.
“Even after receiving a written warning, Mr. Molde was purposefully feeding bighorn sheep for commercial gain, and with blatant disregard for the health and safety of the very wildlife from which he was profiting,” FWP warden Jen Williams said in the release.
Molde plead guilty to the charges on Feb. 14. He was given 10 days in jail with eight eligible for a work program and 170 days suspended and fined $1,035. He was also ordered to surrender all images related to the crime and barred from selling the photos in the future.
“(Molde’s) actions resulted in an artificial concentration of wildlife directly adjacent to a very busy highway, increasing the danger to the animals and the public,” Williams said. “Molde’s actions may also have contributed to the deaths of three bighorn sheep by collisions with vehicles at the site where he was feeding.”
Frost said the feeding of wildlife by photographers is not a widespread problem, but it has occurred in the past. She said animals are more often fed by the general public.
“They want to help, especially in really tough winters when they see animals struggling or starving,” Frost said. “But it is better not to do that.”
“This activity actually puts wildlife at risk and causes more harm than good,” FWP said in the release. “It can increase the number of animals in an area and consequently increase the chance of spreading disease or threatening public safety or wildlife safety. When gathered together, bighorn sheep are particularly susceptible to diseases such as pneumonia, which has caused die-offs of whole herds in Montana.”
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