New Delhi:
A chance conversation with strangers on a plane led to the conviction of a California couple involved in an animal trafficking ring. The unsuspecting discussion took place on a flight to Sacramento in November 2023 when the couple got to talking with fellow passengers about their hobbies.
Byron Lee Fitzpatrick, 24, and Shannon Lee Price, 28, told their fellow travellers that they once illegally hunted a mountain lion, a specially protected species in California. They admitted to smuggling the skull of an endangered turtle in their carry-on bag and also raved about a relative’s “trophy room” full of taxidermized mountain lions, a wolverine and other animals.
The passengers, they were talking to, turned out to be wildlife officers.
Within two days, the officers obtained search warrants for the couple’s home in Chico and their relative’s home in Napa County. At their home, the authorities discovered a mounted barn owl, a ringtail cat, mountain lion claws, and many deer that had been captured without the appropriate tags.
In California, ringtail cats are a protected species, and without state and federal licenses, it is unlawful to acquire a mounted raptor or parts of one.
“This case shows how important it is for our wildlife officers to be alert at all times,” said the CDFW’s chief of law enforcement, Nathaniel Arnold.
He added, “Like human and narcotics trafficking, wildlife trafficking of both live animals and animal parts is known to fund transnational criminal organisations and their violent activities all over the world.”
Mr Fitzpatrick and Ms Price were found guilty of breaking state wildlife regulations and were fined $1,865 and $1,015, respectively. They also received a one-year probation prohibiting them from hunting or associating with hunters. They each risk an extra $1,000 if they violate the federal wildlife laws.
According to a 2023 report from the ratings agency Moody’s, global wildlife trafficking is the third-largest criminal trafficking operation worldwide, behind drug trafficking and counterfeit foods. The United States is the “source, destination, and transit location” for illicit wildlife and animal product trafficking”, the report added.