The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (MDIFW) recently announced a substantial poaching bust on Mount Desert Island—which is home to Acadia National Park.
“In one of Maine’s largest recent wildlife cases game wardens executed six search warrants, including simultaneous searches at three different residences,” explained the agency in a Facebook post. “Through numerous interviews and physical evidence collected at poaching scenes, wardens uncovered a disturbing pattern of repeated intentional wildlife violations involving five individuals on Mount Desert Island.”
The investigation was prompted by a tip from a local community member who suspected a deer was killed illegally in the fall of 2020. Officials ultimately charged five men for wildlife violations for deer poached in the area. The largest offender was Benjamin Hamor, who was charged with 60 criminal and civil charges. He pleaded guilty to almost two dozen of those charges, resulting in nearly $10,000 in fines, a thirteen-year hunting ban, and 30 days of jail time, which he recently served.
The other poachers in the recent case did not face jail time or hunting bans and paid less than $1,000 in fines. Nonetheless, the MDIFW is celebrating the successful investigation. “It’s a rewarding feeling when you dive into a case like this and can be the voice for wildlife,” said Warden Camden Akins. “Wildlife can’t call and ask for help when someone is taking advantage of our natural resources. That’s why it’s so important when members of the public speak up, we can step in and protect the wildlife we all cherish.”
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According to an article in the Bangor Daily News, poaching is a persistent problem on Mount Desert Island, despite the recent bust. Deer hunting has been banned on the island since 1905 because of Acadia National Park, which takes up a substantial portion of the island. However, some locals say that the island’s deer are overpopulated, and one state legislator recently announced a bill that could open legal hunting on the island for the first time in over a century.
