Missouri woman petitions for tougher poaching fines

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     (AP) – A suburban St. Louis woman has launched an online
petition push she hopes compels Missouri lawmakers to increases the fines for
wildlife poachers.
     Sarah Cox of Maryland Heights tells the Springfield News-Leader she launched
the petition drive months ago after reading in that newspaper that a man faced
only a $99.50 fine for illegally killing a black bear.
     As a hunter, Cox also says she was outraged after a poacher killed a Missouri
elk and removed the antlers with a chain saw, leaving the animal's carcass
behind.
     She calls Missouri's poaching penalties lax, and her change.org petition to
change that had nearly 6,600 signatures as of Friday.
     Her petition also endorses a state lawmaker's effort to require restitution
payments from poachers of deer, elk, black bears or turkeys.

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