BETHEL — Two musk ox were shot near Bethel and Alaska State Troopers are looking for whoever is responsible.
A female musk ox was found dead Sunday after being shot repeatedly and a bull was suffering after it was shot multiple times, including through the eye, and had to be put down, said Trooper Brett Gibbens, who is based in McGrath.
"It was not quite dead," Gibbens said. "It was kinda stumbling around trying to figure out where it was at, since it had its eye shot out." Troopers directed the bull to be euthanized, he said.
The animals were near a snowmachine trail behind the Bethel landfill that leads to the upriver village of Akiachak, Gibbens said.
Troopers suspect that more than one person was involved. The shooter salvaged no meat, but the animals have since been butchered and the meat donated, Gibbens, a wildlife trooper, said. Other musk ox may also have been shot and walked away, he said.
Whoever is to blame could be charged with taking a musk ox in a closed area and failure to salvage the edible meat, troopers said.
Wildlife Troopers say anyone with information can call 907-574-0491 or Alaska Fish and Wildlife SafeGuard at 1-800-478-3377. Information that leads to prosecution could result in a reward, troopers said.