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Senate advances tougher wildlife penalties, adds restitution and species value schedule
Summary
After extended floor debate and expert testimony, the Utah Senate placed SB 33 on the third‑reading calendar. The bill creates a 'wanton destruction' offense with felony exposure for higher‑value takes, sets statutory species values for restitution, and authorizes court‑ordered restitution directed to anti‑poaching programs.
The Utah Senate moved forward on legislation to stiffen penalties for illegal takes of wildlife, adopting a measure that adds a new 'wanton destruction' category and a schedule of statutory values to calculate restitution.
Senator Pendleton, sponsor of Senate Bill 33, told colleagues the bill is intended "to take the profit out of poaching our wildlife," describing a series of recent incidents and a need to escalate penalties that until now were largely class B misdemeanors. The proposal adds definitions that track the Endangered Species Act, creates aggravated offenses (for night poaching, repeat offenders, use of poisons or explosives, or taking for pecuniary gain), and ties criminal exposure to the assigned value of the animal.
Under the measure, a wanton destruction…
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