If Seattlest Catches You With an Eagle Talon Necklace...
A second batch of dead bald eagles has been found near Vancouver, BC, bringing the total to forty that have been discovered this month on Tsleil-Waututh First Nation land. The birds are being found minus their talons and tail feathers which are apparently valuable to some kind artifact collector. If convicted the parties responsible could be liable for up to $200,000 per eagle and potential jail time.
Reward money totalling $17,000 has been donated by the Canadian Ministry of Air, Land and Water Protection, the B.C. Wildlife Federation, the District of North Vancouver, the Tsleil-Waututh First Nation and the Humane Society of Canada.
From the Vancouver Sun:
"We have suspects," [conservation officer Rick] Hahn said, adding a four-member task force of conservation officers has been assembled to investigate the 40 deaths.When pressed on who the suspects were, or if they had been charged with similar crimes in the past, Hahn refused to offer details, saying only: "We have people of interest to us."
The article goes on to speculate that because of the large number of birds poached, "there is a higher level of illegal activity involved."
Anyone with information regarding the deaths of these eagles is encouraged to call the Conservation Officer Service at 1-800-663-WILD (9453).
Image courtesy of David LaPuma.
