Poachers exploit demand for eagle feathers sacred among Native Americans

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — America’s golden eagles face a growing threat from the black market for their feathers used in Native American gatherings and other ceremonies, according to wildlife officials, researchers and tribal members.

The government’s response was twofold: Pressure illegally smuggling dead eagles It combined with a long-standing program to legally distribute eagle feathers and parts to tribal members.

But the program has a years-long backlog, and officials said illegal killings have worsened as young golden eagles are specifically targeted because of the high value placed on their white and black wing feathers. Golden eagles, which are federally protected but not considered endangered, were already facing pressure from poisonings, climate change and wind turbines that kill eagles in collisions.

An investigation focusing on a Montana Native American reservation recently led to its first conviction: A Washington state man was accused, along with others, of killing thousands of birds, including at least 118 bald and golden eagles, and selling their parts in the U.S. and abroad.

He faces several years in prison at sentencing on Thursday and could be ordered to pay restitution of up to $777,250 in an investigation that offers a rare glimpse into the black market.

Another investigation involving undercover agents seized 150 golden and bald eagles over the past decade, according to court records and federal officials; 35 defendants were indicted and 31 defendants were convicted for wildlife violations.

Perry Lilley, a member of the Nakota Tribe in northern Montana, attends several meetings a year and says he has been approached to buy eagle feathers. He said the illegal attacks were “absolutely wrong” but sympathized with tribal members who didn’t want to wait years for eagle parts.

Eagle feathers are woven into Native American culture. Beyond powwow attire, they are given as gifts to high school graduates, used in wedding ceremonies, and buried with the dead.

Exploitation of indigenous traditions

A government warehouse in Colorado that provides dead eagles and parts for free to tribal members is filling individual feather orders, such as from graduates. But even though the meetings have become more elaborate and competitive, they cannot keep up with the demand for eagle wings, tails and whole birds.

This left an opening for criminals to exploit Native Americans who were trying to keep traditions alive.

“The amount of money you can make at powwows has increased a lot in the last 10 years, and that’s driven some of the demand,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Law Enforcement Chief Ed Grace. “If the price of feathers increases, people become opportunistic and see that you can make a lot of money in a relatively short period of time by poaching eagles to supply the feather trade.”

Eagle feathers were on full display at a recent meeting in Billings, where dozens of Native Americans adorned with feathers marched onto the grounds of a university to kick off dance competitions. Their feet moved to the beat of a drum, their rhythmic sounds periodically interrupted by high-pitched chants.

Women carried eagle feather fans. Men wore eagle feather headdresses that bounced back and forth as they danced.

At the head of the procession was a man carrying a staff with an eagle head. Behind him among tribal elders is Kenneth Deputy Sr. of the nearby Crow Indian Reservation. There was.

He had a decorative piece around his waist decorated with eagle feathers and carried a short wooden stick carved into the head of a bald eagle, with a single feather hanging from it.

For the MP, feathers symbolize power and provide protection.

“Feathers are very important,” he said. “I’m 72 years old, but I’m ready to rock and roll when I wear it. … All this power is coming back to me, you know, so I’m ready to go out there and boogie woogie.

Comanche Nation member Bill Voelker describes the gatherings differently: more spectacle than spirituality, with some feathers purchased online, where eagle parts can cost hundreds of dollars.

Not all powwows offer cash prizes.

‘Killing spree’ in Montana

The ongoing poaching case in Montana alleges that the defendant and his accomplices killed nearly 3,600 birds, including golden and bald eagles, during what one defendant called a “killing spree.” Prosecutors say the killings on the Flathead Reservation, home of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, began in 2009 and continued into 2021.

Such research is resource-intensive and can take years, Grace said. That’s difficult to maintain for an agency that averages three law enforcement officers per state.

The case involving 150 eagle carcasses spanned multiple states and involved two South Dakota pawn shops where bird parts were traded, including Iowa, Montana, Nebraska and Wyoming.

“Almost all of the information we receive regarding eagle poaching comes from Native Americans, tribes and public citizens,” Grace said. “Then we will look at that intelligence and specifically go after the larger trafficking groups.”

According to a recent government study, the leading cause of eagle deaths is illegal shooting. The ongoing Montana case arose from the regions with the highest density of eagles and other birds of prey in the western United States.

It is relatively easy to find online posts from people selling eagle feathers illegally on internet marketplaces.

“The biggest atrocity in Indian country today is the meeting, but no one is going to say it out loud because everyone is participating,” said Voelker, who runs a tribally sanctioned feather depot and raptor sanctuary in southern Oklahoma.

Eagles on ice

Voelker’s is one of two nonfederal feather repositories in the U.S. Most of the dead eagles, parts and feathers tribal members receive come from the wildlife service’s National Eagle Repository.

At the service’s warehouse-sized building at a nature preserve outside Denver, a wildlife technician recently removed a cold eagle carcass from a box.

He spread the wings, fanned the tail, examined the feathers, then methodically cut off the tail with a knife and cut off the wings and feet with a pair of garden shears. The pieces were packaged in individual plastic bags and mailed to tribal members across the United States.

The warehouse receives 3,500 dead bald and golden eagles annually from the state’s wildlife agencies, bird rehabilitation facilities, zoos and other sources. Tribal members receive thousands of requests each year for feathers and whole eagles and parts.

Bird flu slowed the processing of birds in the warehouse; Every eagle must now be tested to prevent its spread.

The longest accumulation of demand is for young golden eagles.

A dry erase board in the processing area showed how far demand has outpaced supply: 1,242 requests for all immature golden eagles are pending, and only 17 are available. Request for more than 600 wings; 40 available. Almost 450 tails were claimed; 17 available.

The warehouse is currently meeting requests for immature golden eagles made in 2013. Waiting times for bald eagles or their parts are up to two years.

Nakota member Lilley said many of the feathers on his outfit were gifts to him or came from a dead eagle he found along the fence after he was apparently shot.

He also received a golden eagle from the government warehouse years after he applied.

Lilley recalled her excitement when the package arrived with a whole bird on dry ice.

“Someone had to show me how to pluck it, how to remove its feathers, how to remove its tail feathers, its claws, its head, things like that,” he said.

One of the bird’s feet is attached to the short staff that Lilley used during assembly dances. A wing is transformed into a fan.

“For a dancer, when you’re outside it gets pretty hot, so it’s kind of like your air conditioner, that fan,” she said.

— By MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press