EMERY COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) — Officers with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources are seeking information after a cow elk and 18 geese were killed and illegally left to waste in Emery County earlier this year.

On February 10, DWR officers received a report that a dead cow elk had been discarded in an area between the power plant and the solar fields near Huntington in Emery County. The elk had reportedly been skinned and quartered, but none of the meat was harvested except for the backstraps. The rest of the meat had been left to waste, officers said.

DWR confirmed there was a cow elk hunt that went until Jan. 31, and said it is possible the elk was legally harvested during that time. However, the meat was left to waste, which is illegal.

Additionally, officers said they received multiple reports of dead Canada geese that had been found dumped in various locations near Lawrence and Huntington in Emery County. Some of the geese were found on the ground and some hanging on fences and trees, DWR said.

Officers said most of the geese had the majority of their breast feathers plucked, exposing their bellies, but that none of the meat had been harvested.

Officers believe the geese were harvested during the 2023-24 waterfowl hunting season, but then were illegally wasted.

It is illegal to allow protected wildlife to be wasted and can result in a class B misdemeanor, DWR said.

Anyone with information regarding the illegal killing of the cow elk and the 18 geese — or any other wildlife-related crimes in Utah — is encouraged to report it to DWR conservation officers or by one of the following ways: