Montana man sentenced for trafficking cloned Marco Polo sheep, raising wildlife law concerns

A Montana man has been sentenced to six months in prison for trafficking a cloned Marco Polo argali sheep, a near-threatened species. This case is only the second of its kind in the U.S. and raises concerns about wildlife law and cloning ethics. Arthur Schubarth illegally imported sheep parts from Kyrgyzstan and had a clone created in 2015. He bred numerous hybrid sheep, selling them to big game hunters, with some offspring fetching high prices. The fate of many hybrids remains unknown. Four men involved have agreed to quarantine the hybrids and allow the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to manage them. The case has sparked discussions about the classification of cloned hybrids and the need for updated wildlife regulations as cloning technology advances.