- Written by Max Mazza
- BBC News, Seattle
image source, Getty Images
Once considered endangered in much of the United States, bald eagles have made a comeback.
An American man accused of killing thousands of protected birds has pleaded guilty to conspiring to hunt and traffic bald and golden eagles.
Travis John Brunson, 48, spent years shooting birds and selling the parts and feathers on the black market.
In text messages sent to buyers, he bragged about having “committed a felony” and “committed murder.”
He could be sentenced to up to five years in prison when sentenced in federal court on July 31.
On Wednesday, Brandon, 48, pleaded guilty to conspiracy, illegal trafficking of bald and golden eagles, and violating laws prohibiting interstate trafficking of illegally possessed wild animals.
He could be fined around $250,000 (£195,000).
From 2015 to 2021, Branson traveled from his home in Washington state to western Montana to hunt illegally.
Investigators say the suspect worked with accomplice Simon Paul to kill about 3,600 birds on the Flathead Indian Reservation and other locations.
Mr. Paul, 42, is also wanted on similar charges.
Branson was taken into custody on March 13, 2021, during a traffic stop after police found golden eagle claws and feathers in his car.
The bald eagle is the national bird of the United States, appearing on both currency and the national emblem.
Hunting, habitat loss, and the use of the insecticide DDT, which made them unable to lay eggs with strong shells, brought them to the brink of extinction in many places in the mid-20th century. DDT was banned in 1972.
In 1963, there were only 417 nesting pairs of bald eagles known to exist, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Conservation efforts have made a strong comeback and the bird is no longer considered an endangered species.
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