Arrest warrant issued for man accused of killing thousands of birds including eagles

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An arrest warrant was issued for a Montana man who failed to show up to an initial court hearing for allegedly killing thousands of birds, including bald and golden eagles.

A second man also charged made his court appearance and has pleaded not guilty.

Simon Paul, 42, did not turn up to his scheduled arraignment on Monday in Missoula, but the other defendant Travis John Branson, 48, was present and was released as the case continues.

The two men, working with other people, allegedly killed around 3,600 birds on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana between 2015 and 2021, the grand jury indictment said, according to the Associated Press.

Mr Paul and Mr Branson are accused of hunting down the birds and selling eagle feathers, tails, wings and other parts on the black market for “significant sums of cash,” the indictment stated.

In one instance, it is believed that during one of their hunts, they used a dead deer to lure an eagle, which was then shot.

The two men were indicted on 7 December and have been charged with a combined 13 counts of unlawful trafficking of bald and golden eagles and one count each of conspiracy and violating wildlife trafficking laws.

Mr Paul was described in the indictment as a “shooter” and “shipper” for Mr Branson, according to WRTV.

A message uncovered from Mr Branson to buyers explained he was on a “killing spree” for eagle tail feathers, the outlet said.

The men could spend five years behind bars for every conspiracy and wildlife trafficking violation.

Trafficking eagles carries a penalty of up to one year in prison and two years for every subsequent offence.

The trafficking of birds was banned under the 1900 Lacey Act to stop people from illegally trading wildlife, fish or plants.

The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act prohibits anyone without a permit from killing and wounding eagles, as well as from taking any part of their nests or eggs.

Bald eagles, the US national symbol, were endangered for a while due to habitat destruction, illegal shooting and contamination of their food source with a pesticide called DDT, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Yet the pesticide was banned by the federal government, and the population bounced back.

While golden eagles did not see the same rapid decline as bald eagles did, the FWS is still concerned about their population, which seems to be potentially declining in the country.