State and local officials said today that they are continuing a “collaborative and exhaustive investigation” into the slaughter of 32 bison south of Hartsel in the third week of March.
Park County Sheriff Fred Wegener said that currently there are five agencies looking into the shooting and killing of the bison, which were owned by South Park ranchers Monte and Tracy Downare.
They include the Park County Sheriff’s Office, the district attorney’s office for the 11th Judicial District, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the Colorado State Veterinarian and the State Brand Inspector.
“The investigation is ongoing at this time,” Wegener said. “We are following up every lead in an effort to be as thorough as we can. Rest assured we are doing the best job we can to complete this complex investigation.”
The bison were found over a wide area, including on the nearby by Hawn Ranch, other private property and on U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands.
Among the people interviewed, according to Park County undersheriff Monte Gore, was the caretaker of the Hawn Ranch where many of the bison were killed.
The investigators have also talked to the 14 men who shot the bison. The group claims they received permission to kill the animals, although investigators have declined to say who the group said they received the permission from.
The animals were slain just days after Jeff Hawn, an Austin, Texas, businessman, filed suit against Downare. Hawn alleged that Downare’s bison were stampeding on his property in South Park.
Monte and Tracy Downare have declined to comment because of the ongoing investigation
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
