Man confessed to killing thousands of eagles
Travis John Branson, a 48-year-old from the US, has admitted guilt to charges of conspiring to poach and sell bald and golden eagles. Over multiple years, Branson hunted these protected birds, selling their parts and feathers through illegal channels.
11:43 AM EDT, March 21, 2024
The bald eagle, previously listed as endangered in many parts of the United States, has experienced a remarkable recovery.
The legal action regarding the killing of golden and bald eagles on the Flathead Indian Reservation highlights the ongoing issue of a robust illicit market for eagle feathers, despite intensified law enforcement efforts in the 2010s. These efforts resulted in numerous criminal charges throughout the Western and Midwestern United States.
In messages exchanged with a purchaser, he boasted about "committing felonies" and embarking "on a killing spree."
He is at risk of receiving a prison sentence of up to five years during his federal court sentencing on July 31.
Investigators claim he collaborated with an accomplice, Simon Paul, to kill approximately 3,600 birds on the Flathead Indian Reservation and in other locations. Simon Paul, aged 42, is sought after for the same offenses.
On March 13, 2021, Branson was arrested during a traffic stop when officers discovered the claws and feathers of a golden eagle in his car.
According to BBC, a December grand jury indictment cites Travis John Branson, in a text message from January 2021, declaring his intent to go on a "killing spree" for eagle tails. According to the indictment, Branson, along with a co-defendant, Simon Paul, is responsible for the deaths of around 3,600 birds, eagles included, both on the Flathead reservation and in other locations. Federal officials have yet to reveal the methods used to kill all the birds or the additional locations where these killings took place.
Source: ABC News, BBC
