Snapchat video shows ‘prehistoric’ creature illegally snatched from sanctuary, cops say
UPDATE: The suspect accused of illegally snatching a “prehistoric” creature from an Oregon breeding sanctuary has been identified, police say.
An investigation is ongoing, Oregon State Police said in an Aug. 21 news release.
The original story is below.
After a “prehistoric” creature was illegally snatched from an Oregon breeding sanctuary, authorities are searching for a suspect.
Troopers received a tip about the “oversized sturgeon” taken from a “protected sturgeon breeding sanctuary in Umatilla County” on or about May 9, Oregon State Police said in an Aug. 16 news release.
A video of the incident posted on Snapchat by a user named “rodrigo,” shows “one person holding the fishing rod hooked to the fish while another person enters the water and wrestles the sturgeon to shore,” according to police.
The person then shoves his hand through the fish’s gills and out the mouth, lifting it vertically, police said.
“The injuries to the sturgeon’s gills were almost certainly fatal,” police said.
Sturgeon angling within the sanctuary is forbidden from May 1 to Aug. 31 “to protect the breeding stock,” according to police.
“It takes many years for sturgeon to grow to breeding size,” police said.
Male sturgeons do not breed until they reach about 54 inches in length when they are 10 to 15 years old, while females do not breed until they are about 66 inches long when they are 15 to 25 years old, police said.
The sturgeon from the incident appeared be more than 72 inches long, according to police.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 1-800-452-7888, or email TIP@osp.oregon.gov.
Umatilla County is about a 200-mile drive east from Portland.
What to know about white sturgeon
White sturgeon are the largest freshwater fish in North America, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The fish typically grow to be about 10 feet long, however, they can grow up to 20 feet, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The “prehistoric” creatures can “live well over 100 years,” according to the department.
“Sturgeon are long-lived and revered as ‘living fossils’ because they have remained nearly unchanged since they first evolved around 200 million years ago,” the department said in a February news release.
This story was originally published August 20, 2024 at 3:29 PM with the headline "Snapchat video shows ‘prehistoric’ creature illegally snatched from sanctuary, cops say."
