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Jodi Rave: Undercover probe targets eagle trades
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Filed Under: Environment

"Darcey Anaquod, a men's traditional dancer, wears scores of eagle feathers as part of his dance regalia. He received every feather in a sacred manner, allowing him to say he's never bought an eagle feather in his life.

“Two years ago, I had a shabby looking bustle,” said Anaquod, a First Nations Muscowpetung Native who lives in Missoula. “My adopted brother honored me by giving me a bustle. He took pity on me.”

But an ongoing federal investigation has found some people who are allegedly disrespecting the revered bird and violating laws intended to protect bald and golden eagles. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's undercover operation is targeting people who are illegally buying, selling and receiving feathers.

“In other words, shot or trapped or illegally killed,” said Paul Chang, a Pacific Northwest special agent with the Fish and Wildlife Service in Portland, Ore. “That is our main concern.”

On March 12, federal agents arrested four men for killing birds and selling bald and golden eagle feathers and parts, as well as other protected birds, as part of a sweeping undercover investigation. The men, three from Washington and one from Oklahoma, were charged with violating the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Lacey Act."

Get the Story:
Traditional concern - Operation uncovers alleged poaching of eagles for regalia (The Missoulian 3/25)