Two men charged in Montana of killing bald, golden eagles

Federal prosecutors in Montana charged two men over allegations the pair killed an estimated 3,600 birds, including bald and golden eagles, as part of a “killing spree” before selling the eagle parts on a black market, according to a federal grand jury indictment.

The two men are accused of working with others to hunt and kill birds on Montana’s Flathead Indian Reservation, according to the indictment. The men then allegedly sold parts of the birds, including eagle feathers, tails and wings, for “significant sums of cash.”

Simon Paul, 42, of St. Ignatius, Mont., and Travis John Branson, 48, of Cusick, Wash., are facing 13 counts of unlawful trafficking of bald and golden eagles and one count of violating the Lacey Act, aimed at combatting trafficking of illegally taken wildlife, fish or plants.

Federal prosecutors said the alleged killings took place between January 2016 and around March 2021. Paul lived near Montana’s Flathead Indian Reservation and was a “shooter” and “shipper” for Branson, according to the indictment.

Branson would allegedly come to the Indian Reservation where he would meet Paul and help him kill, transport and ship the bald and golden eagles. Federal prosecutors pointed to text messages from Branson telling buyers he was “on a killing spree.”

It was not immediately clear in the indictment how many of the 3,600 birds killed were eagles.

Eagles are the United States’s national symbol and are seen as a reflection of America’s ideals of freedom, as stated in the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. It is against the law for individuals without a permit to kill, injure or disturb eagles or take any parts like nests, eggs and even feathers, The Associated Press reported.

Tribes recognized by the federal government are allowed to apply for permits with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to take a bald or golden eagle for religious purposes. Enrolled tribal members can apply for eagle feathers from the National Eagle Repository, according to the AP.

There are more than 316,700 bald eagles across the Untied States along with an estimated 30,000 golden eagles, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.