Swan Poached Near Boise River

MIDDLETON (KTVB) -- The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is asking for the public's help in finding whoever killed a trumpeter swan near the Boise River east of Middleton.

The juvenile swan appears to have been killed the day after Christmas.

The carcass was found the same day just upstream from the Lansing Lane Sportsman's Access by a hunter who called the Citizens Against Poaching hotline to report the dead bird.

Adult trumpeter swans weigh more than 20 pounds and have an eight-foot wing span. They are illegal to hunt in Idaho.

Fish and Game conservation officers gathered evidence at the scene, but are hoping someone saw something that could lead them to the poacher.

"I am very interested in visiting with anyone who has information regarding this poached swan," Officer Matt O'Connell said in a press release.

The discovery of the dead swan is "eerily similar" to a case in 2013, according to Fish and Game. The bird in last year's case was also found near the river east of Middleton.

Witness tips in that case led to four poachers who were prosecuted for killing the swans.

Anyone with information can contact Citizens Against Poaching at 1-800-632-5999 or call their local Fish and Game office.