Hundreds of pounds of moose meat dumped in the bush near Dawson City, Yukon

Yukon conservation officers are asking the public for any information about a large quantity of wasted moose meat found dumped outside of Dawson City.

The meat, all de-boned, weighed 405 pounds and was packed in several cotton game bags. It was found on Sept. 22 off a trail near kilometre 11 of the Top of the World Highway and reported to conservation officers.

"We're not talking whole quarters of moose or anything. It's just the meat itself," said conservation officer Shawn Hughes.

"It's the better part of a whole moose, really, is what was abandoned."

It's illegal under Yukon's Wildlife Act to waste game meat. Hughes says it's also unethical and disrepectful.

"Generally, I feel like most Yukoners are quite ethical, responsible hunters. So it's kind of hard to see, when we come across this kind of blatant wastage where there's been total disregard for the animal and disrespect for its life," he said.

Hughes couldn't say why someone might take the trouble to butcher so much meat only to dump it. He acknowledged that accidents can happen — such as a freezer becoming accidentally unplugged — but often cases such as this are never solved.

Conservation officers are asking the public for any information about harvests, kill sites where animals have been deboned, or vehicles parked in the area, between Sept. 15 and 22. They're also asking about any hunting vehicles or moose being transported on the George Black ferry in Dawson during that period.

They're asking anybody with information to call the Yukon TIPP line at 1-800-661-0525.