- He was too preoccupied with whether he could, he never stopped to ask whether he should.
We all know the basic gist of Frankenstein, right? It’s about a scientist who used parts from deceased humans to create his very own giant monster of a man.
Whether or not this Montana rancher has read the story, he sure was determined to become a real-life Frankenstein. He, however, didn’t aim to build a twisted mockery of a human being.
Instead, he aimed to create monstrous sheep.
Arthur “Jack” Schubarth recently pleaded guilty to two felony wildlife crimes, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). In a nearly decade-long scheme, the 80-year-old rancher attempted to create a new breed of “giant sheep hybrids.”
He attempted to do so by artificially inseminating sheep with generic material harvested from parts and organs — including testicles — of the Marco Polo argali sheep, smuggled to America from abroad. Schuberth and his accomplices planned to sell the monster sheep to private preserves in Texas for trophy hunting.
Schuberth’s operation, however, was against various wildlife protection laws. After all, who knows what kind of damage the giant sheep could’ve done if they’d escaped into the wilderness.
‘Alternative Livestock’
According to the DOJ, Schuberth is the owner and operator of the 215-acre Schuberth Ranch (officially operated as Sun River Enterprises LLC), located in Vaughn, central Montana. His primary business is buying, selling, and breeding “alternative livestock” — mountain goats and sheep alongside various other ungulates — for sale to captive hunting operations.
In case you’re unaware of what captive hunting is, it means hunting animals released into a large, walled-off natural area. You might argue it’s cruel, but at least it doesn’t threaten natural animal populations.
Schuberth, however, wasn’t satisfied with selling your run-off-the-mill sheep and goats. He dreamed of using his sheep breeding experience to create a monstrous beast that would sell for an equally monstrous price.
In 2013, he decided to put the plan into action. But to create his Frankenstein’s sheep, he would need genetic material.
Finding the Big One
To acquire the animal parts he needed, the DOJ says Schuberth threw his lot in with “at least five” other unidentified individuals. But not just any animal could produce the giant sheep Schuberth wanted.
No, he needed to use the biggest sheep of them all. So, he began purchasing parts of the Marco Polo argali sheep, the largest sheep in the world.
These massive sheep inhabit the mountains of Central Asia. The males can grow to weigh more than 300 pounds while their curving horns — the longest of any sheep — can grow to a length of six feet.
The Marco Polo sheep sounded like a perfect starting point for Schuberth’s breeding program, but there was one problem. These animals are protected by both international and domestic U.S. laws, prohibiting the trade of the sheep or their body parts.
Naturally, Schuberth abandoned his plan at this point. Nah, just kidding — he began to illegally import various body parts, such as testicles, of Marco Polo sheep killed in Kyrgyzstan without declaring them to U.S. customs.
It’s Alive!
With the dead flesh he needed in his hands, it was time for Schuberth to give life to his monster. The DOJ states he sent genetic material harvested from the illegal organs to a laboratory that produced several cloned embryos for him.
Whether the lab did it knowing they were working with illegal materials, we don’t know.
Schuberth implanted the embryos in ewes on his ranch. Most of them failed to produce valid offspring, but one did — and what offspring it was.
The fated ewe gave birth to a “pure genetic male” Marco Polo sheep. Schuberth named the ram Montana Mountain King (MMK for short), but it was just the first step in his master plan.
With his co-conspirators, Schuberth intended to use MMK’s semen to breed ever-larger sheep hybrids. To this end, they moved ewes from various sheep species (all banned in Montana) to Schuberth’s farm.
On at least one occasion, Schuberth sold MMK’s emissions directly to another sheep breeder. According to the DOJ, he also illegally acquired genetic material from wild-hunted Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, which is a protected species.
The Gig’s Up
In 2021, however, Schuberth’s plot was uncovered. The DOJ didn’t say how but that might be because investigation into Schuberth’s partners-in-crime is still ongoing.
For his part in the sheep scheme, Schuberth has pleaded guilty to two counts of violating the Lacey Act, which controls interstate trade of wildlife caught in violation of federal and state laws. When he’s sentenced on July 11, the 8-year-old faces up to five years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines — for each violation.
“The kind of crime we uncovered here could threaten the integrity of our wildlife species in Montana,” explained Ron Howell, Chief of Enforcement for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.
But what about MMK? Well, it’s not like he ever asked to exist, so you can’t really blame him for being born. The Marco Polo sheep is currently in the custody of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Here’s hoping he gets to go somewhere where he can be more than just an involuntary sperm dispenser.