An 81-year-old Montana man has been sentenced to six months in federal prison for illegally cloning and creating a giant hybrid sheep, according to The guard.

Arthur “Jack” Schubarth was arrested for conspiring with five others to use tissues and testicles from Marco Polo sheep that were brought illegally in the US to make a bigger hybrid sheep.

The hybrid sheep were intended for captive trophy hunting in Texas and Minnesota. Marco Polo sheep are the largest in the world, weighing up to 300 pounds, and the cloning process has created an even larger hybrid animal.

U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris said he had difficulty finding an appropriate sentence for Schubarth. Morris considered Schubarth’s age and lack of criminal record combined with the need to impose a sentence that would prevent others from attempting to “change the genetic makeup of creatures” on Earth.

Hybrid animals can often experience a multitude of health problems, including rapid growth and heart problems, per National Geographic. Another consequence of creating hybrid animals is the risk it poses to o endangered species.

Marco Polo sheep are already under threat extinction. Hybridizing them could further endanger the animal in question genetic swamp — an occurrence in which the normal genetic structure is replaced by the hybrid.

Schubarth, who pleaded guilty in March, was fined $20,000 and Morris ordered him to pay $4,000 to the US Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The hybrid sheep was seized by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and will be held until it can be transported to a zoo.

Jason Holden, Schubarth’s attorney, said he committed this cloning the act destroyed his client’s “life, reputation and family”. Holden was only seeking a probationary sentence because Schubarth was a hardworking man who took care of animals in the past.

Sarah Brown, a lawyer for the US Department of Justice, called for prison terms. Brown noted that Schubarth’s illegal breeding operation was widespread, involved forethought and included many illegal acts.

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Brown also noted that Schubarth’s killing endangered the welfare of other wildlife.

“This case exemplifies the serious threat that wildlife trafficking poses to our native species and ecosystems,” said Deputy Director Edward Grace of the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement, according to Reuters. US Department of Justice. “Mr. Schubarth’s actions not only violated several laws designed to protect wildlife, but also risked introducing disease and compromising the genetic integrity of our wild sheep populations.”

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