Native America Calling: Clamping down on the eagle feather black market

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Friday, September 13, 2024

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Clamping down on the eagle feather black market

A Washington state man will be sentenced soon for his part in killing some 3,600 eagles and other protected birds and selling their feathers and other parts on the black market.

The crime reaches a shocking new level of destruction in violation of federal law and respect for the sacred animals. But it highlights the pressure to fulfill demand for feathers and what some people are willing to do to work around established protections.

Join Native America Calling to find out about black market channels for eagle and hawk feathers and talk about what else can be done to protect the endangered birds.

According to federal prosecutors, a Washington state man named Travis John Branson sold these golden eagle tail feathers from eagles that were shot and killed on the Flathead Reservation in Montana. Photo: U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Montana

Guests on Native America Calling

Rich Janssen (Ql̓ispé), Head of Natural Resources Department for Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes, headquartered in Montana

Terence Mull (Navajo), eagle sanctuary manager at the Navajo Zoo, owned and operated by the Navajo Nation in Window Rock, Arizona

David Mikesic, manager and zoologist at Navajo Zoo

Krysten Schuler, wildlife disease ecologist and director of the Cornell Wildlife Health Lab at Cornell University in New York