Local Alberta Fish and Wildlife are hoping for some tips to identify the person(s) responsible for a leaving a bull moose to die in the Rumsey Natural area.
    District Fish and Wildlife Officer Jeff Zimmer tells The Mail, that Fish and Wildlife’s enforcement branch received a tip on November 12 via its Report a Poacher line that a bull moose appeared to have been shot and left. It was spotted in the area, locally known as the Rumsey Grazing Lease, north of Highway 9 and east of Highway 56, in Wildlife Management Unit 166.
    “It laid out here for quite a while. I received a couple calls on it,” said Zimmer. “When I went up to look, I managed to extract a bullet, but other than that, I don’t have any other information that would point me to a suspect.”
    He also has no explanation as to why the animal was left.
    “It appears that whoever shot it, just left it,” he said, explaining that the Rumsey Grazing lease is vast, and there are times that when an animal is shot, they could run away and be hard to find. This was not the case. The animal was in a very accessible place.
    “This was a clear case of a really good shot in the chest. It walked about 20 yards from the trail and died next to the tree line. The hunters (that reported it) could see it from the trail. My thought is, maybe the hunter in this case, had a cow tag, and because of the brush couldn’t see the antlers, and that is why he left it.”
    No part of the animal was removed, and the animal appeared to be intact.
    “This year I have been getting more calls about this sort of stuff,” he said. “This year it appears there is more activity out there, be it legal or illegal. I don’t know if it has something to do with the economy or what. I have heard that from other game wardens, that when the price of oil goes down, there is a spike in the amount of violators.”
  “We have some more out there that have been shot and left, these are both moose and deer. These are still being investigated.”
    Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Branch is looking for further information regarding this incident or any other incident involving a fish or wildlife crime that might lead to possible suspect(s). Callers can remain anonymous by calling the Report a Poacher line at 1-800-642-3800, a cash reward is offered for all information leading to charges.

Caution: This story contains graphic details and may be disturbing to some readers.

    A company that owned and operated a gravel crusher near East Coulee in 2014, where a young man was killed has pleaded guilty to a charge under the Occupational Health and Safety Code.
    Darryl Wiebe, general manager of Argon Construction appeared on behalf of the company in provincial court in Drumheller on Friday, December 9. The company faced three charges and pleaded guilty to, being an employer, did fail to provide safeguards if a worker may accidentally, or through the work progress, come into contact with moving parts of machinery, contrary to section 310(2)(A) of the Occupational Health and Safety Code.
    Christopher Lawrence, 15, was killed on July 19, 2014, after his vest was entangled in an unguarded conveyor belt on the machinery, while working at a gravel crusher near East Coulee.
     According to an agreed statement of fact, Argon Construction has purchased the unit used at East Coulee in 2011. According to a letter from the seller, quoting a price for the unit, it contained a specific warning to the guarding the exact area that was involved in the incident, noting that “Guards may not meet all local codes. Customer is responsible to review specifications and determine if guarding is adequate.”
    It also notes that at no time did Argon Construction obtain the manufacturer’s guidelines for the machinery that warns of specific risks while conducting maintenance while the machine was running.
    Lawrence began working with the company about a month before the incident. He began work at a site near Bowden. He was then assigned to work at a site near Irricana. There he received new employee orientation. One of the responsibilities of his position was to remove accumulated gravel from under the machine. He was shown how to kneel and use a long handled shovel to remove gravel from under the conveyor unit. He was warned not to get too close to any moving parts and to wear a tear-

away reflective safety vest in case it were to get caught in any moving parts.
    On July 8, the crushing unit was moved to a site near East Coulee.  On July 19 at 6 a.m., Lawrence began his shift. He was wearing a hard hat, safety glasses, hearing protection and a safety vest, however it was not the tear away type.
    He was using a short wooden D-handled shovel to remove the build up of gravel beneath the cone crusher.
    At some point in time, while clearing gravel, his safety vest became entangled in the unguarded rotating conveyor belt on the tail pulley shaft. He was pulled into the conveyor and he was crushed to death.
    According to the agreed statement of facts, the company was cooperative throughout the investigation.
    Sentencing is scheduled for April 21, 2017.