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When eagles die: National Eagle Repository is the eagle morgue
The National Eagle Repository is the home for all recovered dead bald and golden eagles in the U.S., but not a lot of folks — no, not even eagle enthusiast and former Attorney General John Ashcroft — had ever heard of it before this summer.
A bald eagle. | Flickr user law_keven
In June, a hiker discovered a beheaded bald eagle corpse on the north slope of Legion Park Hill in Boulder. The gory find spurred countywide concern and even a $2,500 Humane Society reward for tips on the source of the mutilated eagle. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said that the eagle mutilation was part of a growing trend fueled by the black market value of eagle feathers and talons:
Special agent Ken Dulik, who works for Oberholtzer, has investigated the killing of eagles for 20 years and knows the prices eagle parts can bring on the black market.
A whole eagle carcass – whether golden or bald – can bring a minimum of $1,000, with the going rate closer to $1,500, he said. Individual tail feathers of immature golden eagles, which are highly prized, bring about $100. A tail fan of a golden eagle brings between $500 and $800, he said.
Bald-eagle tail fans can bring $500.
After nearly a month, the Department of Wildlife announced that it had received an anonymous tip saying that the eagle was beheaded as part of a Native American ceremony (for which a permit had been granted). A Native American group also held a press conference to dispel some of the misconceptions about the ceremony, concerned that they were being portrayed negatively — and that the investigation had ruined the ritual:
“We need certain parts of this bird to cleanse our system,” said House. “The eagle soars the highest and carries our prayers to the creator.”
Now, the Denver Post has taken a long look at the National Eagle Repository, which was apparently the source of the bird found in Boulder — the Repository collects dead eagles with the goal of filling orders placed by Native Americans for just such ceremonies. Among the fascinating details:
They make 100 to 150 shipments of loose feathers a week. They might ship 30 whole eagles a week.
“It’s piece work, really,” Atencio said. “Some just want the tails. Some just want the wings. A lot of people are holding out for the perfect whole bird. Perfect is hard to come by.”
And:
No one — not even American Indians — can sell or barter any part or anything made from eagle parts. They can make a gift of it, or bequeath it upon death, but only to other American Indians.
Violations of the act can result in a $100,000 fine and up to a year in prison, yet there is a thriving black market. If you find a dead bald or golden eagle, do not touch it; report it to a federal or state game official.
We don’t have descriptive language about the ceremony, so if anyone would like to enlighten us about the particulars of the ceremony, we’d love to know — leave us something in the comments. Here’s something from a NativeBiz story about the eagle ceremony:
Darryll Pino had waited for four years to receive a deceased eagle from the National Eagle Repository. And when it arrived at his home he says he treated it with respect, burning sage and sweet grass as the eagle was carried into his doorway.
Check out the National Eagle Repository story over at the Post for more.
Bonus video:
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