26 mutilated bald eagle carcasses found at bottom of embankment

CanWest News Service
February 4, 2005

VANCOUVER -- Bird lovers and natives were horrified Thursday by the mutilated remains of 26 bald eagles, which had their talons, tail and flight feathers removed.

The carcasses were found Wednesday by a woman walking her dog, discarded at the bottom of a North Vancouver embankment. The wanton killings and subsequent mutilation have puzzled British Columbia conservation officers.

"If we're finding 26, how many could there have been killed?" officer Colin Copland asked Thursday, clutching a bag containing eight eagle heads. "It's certainly something of great concern to us."

The bald eagle enjoys protected status in B.C. with a permit required for one to be killed. The penalties for illegally killing them can stretch up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1 million.

Leonard George, spokesman for the Burrard Band called the discovery "horrible," adding that no band member could treat a sacred bird in such a way. Bald eagles have long been part of native culture with feathers being used in ceremonial head-dresses and rattles.

Copland said there's a black market for eagle talons and feathers, especially in the U.S., which has stringent laws prohibiting the possession and transport of eagle parts and eagle feathers.