A Washington state man accused of helping kill thousands of birds is expected to plead guilty Wednesday to shooting eagles on an American Indian reservation in Montana and selling their feathers and body parts on the black market.
The prosecution over golden and bald eagles killed on the Flathead Indian Reservation underscores the persistence of a thriving illegal trade in eagle feathers despite a law enforcement crackdown in the 2010s that netted dozens of criminal indictments across the U.S. West and Midwest.
A grand jury indictment last December quotes defendant Travis John Branson saying in a January 2021 text that he was going on a “killing spree” to obtain eagle tails. Branson and a second defendant, Simon Paul, killed approximately 3,600 birds, including eagles on the Flathead reservation and elsewhere, according to the indictment. Federal authorities have not disclosed how all the birds were killed, nor where else the killings happened.
Ugh. Did the article have to have that pic as the main image?
Shooting a eagle is un-American, they should deport him to Russia
Hunting eagles was very American until about 100 years ago; people thought they carried away farm animals and small children and so treated them like pests.
Your “political commentary” was unnecessary and doesn’t contribute anything to conversation.
It’s actually your commentary that is not only wrong, but outdated by 100 years. What it means to be American changes with the times… unlike your wrinkled ass.
Yikes. Thanks for the downvotes and the less than interesting “conversation”. ✌🏼
Glad to see you appreciate the downs, have another.
Again, yikes. Americans coming out in force today. Mental disabilities are not to be made fun of. So unnecessary.
Definitely not a pest. The eagle has been a symbol of america since the founding fathers. Congress adopted it in 1782. You’re mistaking the origin of the symbol with the fact that the bald eagle protection act was only passed in 1940 due to eagle population decline.
The feathers probably are needed for fly fishing. There are other famous heists around it: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/654/the-feather-heist
“Needed” is a strong word lol
Man I remember listening to that story of the museum heist on NPR. Ended up being like 15 minutes late to wherever I was supposed to be because I stayed in the car listening to the whole thing.
