Indiana conservation police investigate dumping of geese

HEBRON, Ind. (AP) - Indiana Department of Natural Resources conservation police are investigating the illegal dumping of more than 90 dead snow geese in a rural county.

Conservation police determined the geese were shot and illegally dumped sometime last week in Porter County near Hebron (HEE'-bruhn). Dumping dead geese into water is a violation, department spokesman Tyler Brock told The (Northwest Indiana) Times .

"The issue is not necessarily that they took that many birds," Brock said. "It's what they did with them."

Brock said that those responsible could face a Class B misdemeanor for littering the water.

He said conservation police have been speaking with residents, who reported witnessing the hunters taking the geese. Residents also told conservation police a group of snow geese had been regularly seen in the area.

Police are working to identify the hunters who dumped the geese.

Brock said Indiana is among several states that allow liberal taking of snow geese, which have been found to have some negative effects on Arctic tundra. He said snow geese are different from Canada geese.

Police said the snow geese population in northwest Indiana isn't as widespread as Canada geese, but they said snow geese do show up in large numbers in isolated pockets.

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Information from: The Times, http://www.nwitimes.com