Two men have each been charged with illegally killing two brown bears in Katmai National Preserve in late July 2004. An investigation by the National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Alaska State Troopers, and the State of Alaska Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory determined that the four brown bears at issue were illegally killed along Funnel Creek near Mirror Lake and were left to rot in violation of federal regulations. None of the meat, hides, or skulls were salvaged, according to court records. Two men in their 20s from Kokhanok, a village along Iliamna Lake, have been charged with taking wildlife in a national preserve in violation of National Park Service regulations. The case has been deemed particularly significant because it represents the largest known number of brown bears killed by poachers in a single incident in national parks in Alaska. While hunting is allowed in Katmai National Preserve, NPS regulations incorporate the hunting laws and regulations of the State of Alaska to control hunting there. The charges against the two men are based upon regulatory violations for hunting the bears during a closed season and failing to salvage the skulls and hides of the bears. Each violation is punishable by up to six months in prison and a fine of up to $5,000. The case also involved two juveniles who were previously prosecuted by the State of Alaska’s Department of Law for offenses that included the illegal killing of a different bear in Katmai National Preserve.
