A judge in Montana has issued an arrest warrant for a man accused of killing about 3,600 birds, including bald and golden eagles, on the state’s picturesque Flathead Indian Reservation.
The arrest warrant was established for 42-year-old Simon Paul after he failed to appear for his arraignment on Monday, court records show. Paul was accused of killing the birds after local police said he and an accomplice, 48-year-old Travis John Branson, went on an avian “killing spree” to sell eagle parts on the black market.
In the indictment filed in December, officials said Paul and Branson together hunted and killed numerous protected birds. Eagle feathers, tails, wings and other parts of the American national bird were allegedly sold for high prices in illegal marketplaces.
In at least one instance, the men reportedly used a deer carcass to lure in a wild eagle for an easy meal. The eagle was then shot and killed.
Both men face 13 counts of unlawful trafficking of bald and golden eagles and one count each of conspiracy and violating wildlife trafficking laws, according to the Associated Press. One count of conspiracy carries a penalty of five years imprisonment, a US$250,000 (about CAD$334,840) fine, and three years of supervised release, NPR reported.
Branson has already pleaded not guilty.
Investigators in the case submitted several alleged text messages between Branson and potential buyers as part of the indictment. In one such message, Branson told a buyer he was “on a killing spree” with Paul, who he identified as the “shooter.” He said he would collect more eagle feathers for future sale.
Officials said Branson also sent an interest buyer a text that included a photo of a set of severed golden eagle tails. The same day as sending the photo, the indictment maintains that Branson received a PayPal notification of purchase, then two days later shipped the tails to Texas. He received an apparent PayPal payment in the days afterward.
It is currently unclear how many of the approximately 3,600 birds were eagles.
Police said Flathead Indian Reservation, home of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, is not the only location where Paul and Branson killed birds. The pair allegedly began shooting protected birds in 2015 and continued for six years through to 2021.
In the U.S., it is prohibited to kill a bald eagle under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. The Act was established to create criminal penalties for anyone who takes, possesses, sells, purchases or transports a bald or golden eagle (including bird body parts, feathers, nests and eggs). The Act protects both living and dead eagles.
Some federally recognized Indigenous tribes can apply for permits to take eagle feathers for religious purposes.
The iconic bald eagle was endangered until 2007.
Though they are no longer on the endangered species list, a study from Boise State University in Idaho last year discovered illegal shootings are the number one cause of death among protected birds of prey, including bald and gold eagles, in Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, and Utah.
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