Alberta RCMP are looking for two thieves after thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment was stolen near the town of Sundre.
“There were two suspects on February 3 from approximately 1pm until 6pm in the area,” said RCMP Cpl. Tammy Keibel. “There’s definitely some distinguishing marks from their helmets and we’re hoping someone will recognize the machines.”
On Wednesday, RCMP released pictures of the two suspects on their snowmobiles. They were caught on video near Williams Creek Road and Williams Creek Valley after allegedly stealing 30 wildlife cameras used to monitor Alberta’s wild horse population.
“We’ve got probably just over 30 cameras set up watching our other cameras and we never reveal those locations,” said Help Alberta Wildies Society (HAWS) president Darrell Glover. “We’ve experienced four separate thefts over the last four months.”
Glover said HAWS was first targeted in the fall when ten of their wildlife cameras went missing. The group then set up more in hidden locations waiting for the thieves to return.
“That’s not something we should have to do in this day and age, is to wait for thieves to take your stuff,” Glover said. “This is crown land, it’s public land and we have every right to be there as well.”
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Investigators said the cameras are worth approximately $6,000 and the suspects also made off with the horses’ salt licks.
“There could be several reasons why the salt licks were taken,” Cpl. Keibel said. “However, obviously, not typically a high value item for a crime.”
RCMP are also looking for anyone who may have seen the suspects loading up a truck or trailer on Williams Creek Road around 6 pm on February 3rd.
“People who are in that area are probably somewhat familiar with the area,” Cpl. Keibel said. “It’s not a highly-populated location, but perhaps someone driving by has dashcam video.”
Meanwhile, HAWS is now offering a $10,000 reward for anyone who can identify the suspects.
“We really want to catch these guys that are stealing our equipment,” Glover said. “They really are messing with our citizen science and we’ve prepared posters to give to ATV dealerships incase they try to sell their snowmobiles.”
Alberta’s wild horse population has been polarizing over the years. Advocates believe the horses should be saved, while others believe the population is unmanageable.
The province said the practice of rounding up the horses and auctioning them off has been put on pause with the last licensed round up in 2015.
“With its close connection to the horses and hands-on knowledge and experience, HAWShas been a valuable contributor to plans and discussions around the forthcoming horse management framework,” said Alberta Environment and Parks communications advisor Miranda Broumas. “Alberta Environment and Parks is aiming to complete an updated population survey through aerial counts in late winter/early spring 2022 when weather and snow cover are suitable.”
Glover said the majority of the information they have collected has been archived and more cameras will be put in place next week.
“We’re going to put those cameras up and we’re going to keep putting them up until these guys are caught.”
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