According to a federal grand jury indictment, two individuals engaged in a “killing spree” on Montana’s Flathead Indian Reservation and other areas, resulting in the deaths of approximately 3,600 birds, including bald and golden eagles. The indictment also states that the suspects sold eagle parts on the black market, which has been a persisting issue for wildlife officials in the United States.

The indictment states that the men collaborated with others in the pursuit and execution of birds. In one instance, they used a deceased deer to bait an eagle, which was then shot. The two accused individuals worked with unnamed accomplices to sell eagle feathers, tails, wings, and other body parts for large amounts of money in various locations within the United States and beyond.

Simon Paul, aged 42, from St. Ignatius, Montana, and Travis John Branson, aged 48, from Cusick, Washington, have been charged with 13 counts of illegally trading bald and golden eagles. They also face one charge each of conspiracy and breaking wildlife trafficking laws.

According to the indictment, Branson and his associates communicated through text messages, informing potential buyers that he was actively collecting eagle tail feathers for future sales. Paul was identified as a “shooter” working for Branson in these messages.

The charges stated that the murders started in January 2015 and persisted until 2021 in Ronan, Montana on the Flathead Reservation, which is the residence of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. The indictment did not specify the number of eagles among the 3,600 birds that were killed.

“We just hope that if these individuals are proven guilty that it will serve as a warning to others that we are watching,” said Rich Janssen, director of the tribes’ Natural Resources Department. He said that members of the tribes use eagle feathers for traditional dress and in honor ceremonies.

The tribal police were involved in looking into Paul and Branson, but Janssen was unsure of the reason for the delay in their charges.

The bald eagle, a symbol of the United States, is considered sacred by American Indians along with the golden eagle. It is against U.S. law for anyone without a permit to harm or disturb eagles, including taking their nests, eggs, or feathers found in the wild.

Native American tribes that have been recognized by the federal government have the option to request permits from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in order to obtain a bald or golden eagle for religious purposes. Additionally, members of these tribes can also apply for eagle feathers and other parts from the National Eagle Repository. However, there is currently a significant backlog of requests, as reported by Janssen and two eagle experts who are not affiliated with the government.

According to the scientists, the accumulation of unfulfilled requests may be fueling the illegal trade of eagle materials. Particularly, feathers from juvenile golden eagles are highly sought after, with wait times of up to five years to obtain them from the central storage facility, as reported by Bryan Bedrosian, a researcher at the Teton Raptor Center in Wilson, Wyoming.

“It is difficult for individuals, especially those in indigenous communities, to obtain feathers for genuine religious practices. This has resulted in a black market for illegal eagle parts,” he explained.

Rob Domenech, the executive director of Raptor View Research Institute in Missoula, Montana, believes that addressing the delays could potentially decrease the illegal trade of eagle parts.

According to him, the region where it is claimed that the birds were being hunted has a significant number of eagles and other big birds of prey compared to other areas in the western United States. This includes hawks and eagles that reproduce in the area, as well as migratory birds that come from the north to spend the winter in the Flathead region.

Domenech stated that there are specific periods of time when there is an abundance of raptors, making it a prime time for this kind of behavior.

The officials from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife department did not promptly provide answers to inquiries about the large number of permit applications from tribes. A representative for Jesse Laslovich, the U.S. Attorney for Montana who is handling the case, declined to give further statements aside from what was stated in the indictment.

In the past, bald eagles faced widespread extinction in the United States primarily due to the use of DDT pesticides. However, with the implementation of federal protections, their numbers have rebounded and they were taken off the endangered species list in 2007. In recent years, their population has been steadily rising. On the other hand, golden eagles are facing more precarious circumstances as energy development, lead poisoning, illegal shootings, and other issues have put them at risk of decline.

The United States is home to approximately 346,000 bald eagles and around 40,000 golden eagles. The golden eagles require larger habitats to thrive and are more likely to encounter issues with humans.

Numerous unlawful killings of eagles in the past decade sparked a federal inquiry, leading to the prosecution and conviction of 17 perpetrators from various states and two pawn shops in South Dakota. The investigation revealed that the illegally obtained bird parts were being traded online, including in states such as Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming. In a separate incident earlier this year, a man from Montana received a three-year prison sentence after being accused by South Dakota prosecutors of selling golden eagle tails for hundreds of dollars each.

Last week, the unsealed indictment by the grand jury stated that Paul and Branson worked together to unlawfully hunt and sell eagles in the area of Ronan, Montana. Branson came from Washington to the Flathead Reservation to hunt the eagles, while Paul, who lived nearby, assisted in shipping the animals to buyers.

According to the indictment, when Branson came to the Flathead Indian Reservation, Paul would assist in the capture, transportation, and sale of bald and golden eagles for illegal purposes.

Paul and Branson were not arrested and were given summonses to appear for their arraignments on January 8th at the U.S. District Court in Missoula.

Attorneys for the men were not named in the court documents and could not be reached at the telephone numbers listed for them.

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This story was contributed to by Washington, D.C. based writer Sarah Brumfield for the Associated Press.

Source: wral.com