A 48-year-old man from the US, Travis John Branson, has admitted to conspiring to hunt and traffic bald and golden eagles, facing accusations of killing thousands of these protected birds.
Branson confessed to shooting the birds over multiple years and selling their parts and feathers on the black market.
In incriminating text messages to a buyer, he boasted about “committing felonies” and going “on a killing spree.”
Branson is set to be sentenced on 31 July in federal court, where he faces up to five years in prison.
He pleaded guilty to conspiracy, illegal trafficking of bald and golden eagles, and violations of laws prohibiting inter-state trafficking in illegally possessed wildlife.
Additionally, he could be fined around $250,000 (£195,000).
From 2015 to 2021, Branson regularly traveled from his home in Washington state to western Montana for these illegal hunts.
He collaborated with an accomplice, Simon Paul, to kill around 3,600 birds on the Flathead Indian Reservation and other locations, according to investigators. Paul, aged 42, is also wanted on similar charges.
Branson’s arrest occurred during a traffic stop on 13 March 2021, where authorities discovered the talons and feathers of a golden eagle in his vehicle.
The bald eagle, a national symbol in the United States, faced endangerment in the mid-20th century due to various factors, including hunting, habitat loss, and the use of DDT, an insecticide that harms their eggshells.
However, conservation efforts have led to a significant recovery, and the bird is no longer considered endangered.
Source-BBC
