Two teenage boys from Kotzebue illegally killed a caribou after chasing it on a snowmachine and ramming it several times, troopers say.
The pair are facing charges including harassment and taking a bull caribou during a closed season.
Wildlife troopers started getting complaints Nov. 11 about a caribou being chased by snowmachiners on the ice near town.
Callers told troopers the juveniles killed the animal after it fell during the chase.
The 16- and 17-year-old shot the caribou and wounded it from the snowmachine, then chased it and hit it several times, according to troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters. After it fell, they killed the caribou with a knife.
An Alaska wildlife trooper contacted the juveniles in Kotzebue after they removed most of the animal from the ice, Peters said.
Troopers say the pair were issued court summons in the matter. Their names were not released.
The caribou was donated to a charity, troopers said.
Anchorage Daily News reporter Zaz Hollander contributed to this report.