A Bethel resident, 53-year-old Ray Watson, reported that he had found a dead Muskox at his fish camp across from Bethel on the Kuskokwim River near the "Old Airport," on Sunday.

The next day, on Monday, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game as well as Alaska Wildlife Troopers went to the fish camp and performed a necropsy on the dead animal. They found that the animal had died as the result of at least one gunshot wound. They observed that the three-year-old bull Muskox, in all other respects, was otherwise healthy.

The officers also observed that there had been no effort to salvage any of the meat, hide or skull from the animal, that was spoiled at the time of the necropsy. They estimated that the animal had been shot at least three to four days prior during the week of October 14th.

Wildlife Troopers and Fish and Game are asking anyone with information on the incident to please contact the Alaska Wildlife Troopers at 543-5955, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at 543-3151 or Alaska Wildlife Safeguard at 1-800-478-3377.

They state that the callers can remain anonymous.