The last one really shows following the money!
Where Eagles Die
By Deborah Jones/Vancouver
Last February, a woman walking her dog in the woods of North Vancouver stumbled upon a grotesque find: the mutilated carcasses of 26 bald eagles. The discovery set in motion a major investigation involving law enforcement and conservation officials in both Canada and the U.S. Now, TIME has learned, authorities have identified suspects in a poaching and smuggling ring that they say annually slaughters more than 500 of the protected animals on British Columbia's southwestern coast alone, with perhaps hundreds more killed each year elsewhere in the province. Officials are expected to make a formal announcement of their progress in the case early next week.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1044649,00.htmlPoaching Sheds Light on Market for Eagle Parts
by Austin Jenkins
MICHELE NORRIS, host:
From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Michele Norris.
ROBERT SIEGEL, host:
And I'm Robert Siegel.
It was a series of startling discoveries on an Indian reservation in North Vancouver, British Columbia: the carcasses of some 50 eagles, their talons and tail feathers sliced off. The killings earlier this year sparked outrage and triggered a criminal investigation. So far no arrest have been made. But as Austin Jenkins reports from Seattle, Washington, the case has put a spotlight on the black market for eagle feathers, talons and other parts.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4954671February 3, 2011
Reward Offered in Nevada Eagle Poaching Case
The Humane Society of the United States and The Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust are offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for illegally killing four golden eagles in Northeast Nevada.
http://www.humanesociety.org/news/press_releases/2011/02/reward_nevada_golden_eagle_killing_020311.htmlhttp://www.humanesociety.org/news/press_releases/2011/02/reward_nevada_golden_eagle_killing_020311.htmlEagle Poaching Ring Busted in Federal Raids
by Don Jordan
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents have arrested or are seeking to arrest 35 people in New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado responsible for killing and selling bald and golden eagles.
"Posing as traders of Indian artifacts, undercover agents were able to infiltrate a commercial trapping ring. They were told that in one pueblo during last year's winter migration, more than 60 eagles were intentionally killed either by being shot or caught in leg-hold traps baited with fresh meat," said a USFWS bulletin delivered to Inside Outdoors via e-mail.
According to the service, their agents found an illegal market for migratory bird parts "in which whole eagle skins, wings, tails, and wing bones; whole hawks, wings and tails; and owl wings were sold throughout New Mexico, Arizona, and parts of Colorado and Utah." Feathers were being sold to make popular native American items like Kachina dolls and dance bustles. The items were sold to trading posts, collectors, tourists and individuals participating in pow-wows. At least 25 species were being traded--from eagles and owls to flickers, scissor-tailed flycatchers and anhingas. All are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
(snip)
A tremendous increase in prices brought on by the demand for feathers is said to be the main reason poachers get into the business. The USFWS says the price of an intact golden eagle fan quadrupled from $100 to $400 in 1988. Today, a single golden eagle feather sells for as much as $100. An anhinga feather peyote fan goes for $300. The presence of anhinga items shows the ring was not confined to only the Southwest. Anhingas live along the Gulf Coast from Florida to Louisiana.
Producing tourist items has resulted in "alarmingly high numbers of birds being killed for profit" according to the USFWS. "For example, to make an eagle fan it takes an entire tail from one eagle. To make a single scissor-tailed flycatcher fan, it can take 25 birds."
http://donjordanoutdoors.com/pages/poach.htm
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