When eagles die: National Eagle Repository is the eagle morgue

September 1, 2009 · Posted in Environment · 2 Comments 

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

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). Read more

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