Snowmobilers ran over and killed 60 ducks in two incidents while racing across open water beneath a bridge on the Rock River in downtown Fort Atkinson, police said.

It's the third reported incident in Wisconsin in January 2009 of snowmobiles running over wildlife.

Police Lt. Jeff Davis said the Fort Atkinson killings occurred over the weekend and likely involved different snowmobilers. Four other ducks were severely injured, he said.

Snowmobiles travel so fast when they skip across the open water in the dark that ducks cannot respond quickly enough to get out of the way, he said.

"Last week, we lost one snowmobile that went through there," he said. "If you don't hit it fast enough, you can get stuck and lose your sled."

It's possible the killings weren't intentional because it's hard to see the ducks under the bridge at night, Davis said. Still, no one stopped to report the weekend killings, he said.

Ducks being killed by snowmobilers in that stretch of the river has occurred before, including 25 in February 2004, Davis said.

Jefferson County Snowmobile Alliance President Larry Chwala said snowmobile clubs and dealers in the area have offered a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the duck killers.

Two weeks ago, 57 mallards were run over and killed by a snowmobiler on the Fond du Lac River near Fond du Lac in an incident of water skipping over a hole in the ice.

Update 7/23/09:  Drivers of off-road vehicles would be required to report collisions with animals under a bill proposed in the state Legislature intended to curb "thrill killings" of animals.

The bill is in response to a Jan. 23 incident in downtown Fort Atkinson that left 60 ducks dead. In another incident, 57 ducks were killed near Fond du Lac by snowmobilers Jan. 13.

Jefferson County District Attorney Susan Happ, whose office is handling the incident, said the reporting requirement would make it harder for people to claim such killings were accidents if they failed to notify law enforcement. The bill also covers motorboats and applies to any motor vehicle not used on a street.

"Accidents happen, but the authorities need to know about it," said state Rep. Andy Jorgensen, D-Fort Atkinson, the bill's author. "It is disingenuous for someone to say it was an accident when they did not report the incident to law enforcement or the DNR."

No one has been arrested in the Fort Atkinson incident.

Under Jorgensen's bill, people convicted of such killings would be subject to the penalties for animal cruelty and, therefore, could be sentenced to up to a year and a half in prison and two years of extended supervision, and face up to $10,000 in fines. Failure to report collisions would entail a $200 fine.

Judges also would be able to order a mental health assessment for those convicted, which could "go a long way to helping those who are truly sick," Jorgensen said.

Reference:

Madison.com