Enforcement News
Here is the latest in conservation enforcement news & press releases from the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. For Operation Game Thief there is a list of solved cases and cold cases. And see the Featured Officer page for Officer of the Month and Career Advancement news.
Department-wide news can be found under Home → NMDGF News.
Cloudcroft homeowner kills bear attacking dogs
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Public contact, Information Center: (888) 248-6866 Media contact: Karl Moffatt: (505) 476-8007 karl.moffatt@state.nm.us FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, JULY 23, 2016: Cloudcroft homeowner kills bear attacking dogs CLOUDCROFT – A man shot and killed a bear after it attacked two of his dogs outside his home Thursday. The adult female bear had two cubs which were captured at the scene and placed in the care of Dr. Kathleen Ramsay, an Española area veterinarian specializing in rehabilitating sick and injured wildlife. The incident occurred when the man’s wife heard her two small dogs barking and went outside to discover two cubs on her patio, said New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Conservation Officer Marcelino Peralta. The startled cubs bawled out for their mother who then came running around the corner. The woman fled into her house, but her two small dogs slipped out the open [...]
Game and Fish officers and inspectors busy over July 4 weekend
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Public contact, Information Center: (888) 248-6866 Media contact: Karl Moffatt: (505) 476-8007 karl.moffatt@state.nm.us FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, July 7, 2016: Game and Fish officers and inspectors busy over July 4 weekend SANTA FE – The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish worked lakes and streams in an effort to help the public stay safe over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Department officers made over 4,100 contacts with the public statewide and issued over 250 citations, including 161 for fishing without a license and another 121 for off-highway vehicle violations. Department inspectors, partners and contractors also checked about 2,500 watercraft for aquatic invasive species and decontaminated 21 vessels at numerous lakes around the state over the holiday. “We appreciate the boating public’s patience and cooperation in this continuing effort to keep our state’s waters free of aquatic invasive species such as zebra and [...]
Game wardens save family stranded on island at Abiquiu Lake
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Public contact, Information Center: (888) 248-6866 Media contact: Karl Moffatt: (505) 476-8007 karl.moffatt@state.nm.us FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, June 30, 2016: Game wardens save family stranded on island at Abiquiu Lake ABIQUIU – New Mexico Department of Game and Fish officers rescued a Santa Fe family of six left stranded on an island at Abiquiu Lake after their boat swamped during an outing Tuesday. The two adults and four children were saved after New Mexico State Police radio dispatch received a distress call by cellphone from the family that evening. The department’s game warden stationed in Espanola, Wyatt Harwell, responded to the call with his powerboat and two other officers. The officers found the stranded family and loaded them onboard. They also drained the family’s boat and towed it back to the boat ramp. “The parents did a great job of getting the kids to [...]
Department of Game and Fish employees lauded for their work
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Public contact, Information Center: (888) 248-6866 Media contact: Karl Moffatt: (505) 476-8007 karl.moffatt@state.nm.us FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, June 30, 2016: Department of Game and Fish employees lauded for their work SANTA FE – New Mexico Department of Game and Fish employees were recognized for outstanding job performance at a recent meeting of the State Game Commission in Santa Rosa. Employees of the department’s six fish hatcheries were recognized at the commission’s June 23 meeting for their combined effort to provide plenty of fish for anglers to catch. Also noted was a new hatchery program which produces bigger trout that has proven popular with many anglers. Roddy Gallegos, the department’s assistant chief of fisheries, was recognized for his leadership and oversight of hatchery staff implementing the program. Other employees recognized for outstanding job performance in their fields were: George Farmer, a wildlife specialist and conservation [...]
Missing bear cubs caught Saturday
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Public contact, Information Center: (888) 248-6866 Media contact: Lance Cherry: (505) 476-8003 lance.cherry@state.nm.us FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, JUNE 26, 2016: Missing bear cubs caught Saturday JEMEZ MOUNTAINS, NM – Exactly one week after an adult female black bear was euthanized following an attack on a woman participating in a marathon event on the Valles Caldera National Preserve near Los Alamos, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish conservation officers dispatched the message so many were hoping to hear, “We’ve got them. We caught the cubs!” Last Thursday, a National Park Service (NPS) biologist spotted the cubs and contacted the Department. Officers responded only to find they had once again managed to slip away. Over the next few days, efforts increased to find the cubs and on Saturday, it paid off when the Department’s tracker and an officer located the cubs. Using dogs, the [...]