2y ago

2 men charged in 'killing spree' of over 3,000 birds, including bald eagles, in Montana

www.nbcnews.com

Simon Paul and Travis John Branson were indicted for allegedly gunning down thousands of birds, including eagles protected by federal law, over the course of several years.

A grand jury indicted two men on charges of going on a yearslong "killing spree" of federally protected eagles and selling "this country's national symbol" on the black market, court documents revealed.

Simon Paul and Travis John Branson were each charged last week with one count of alleged conspiracy and 13 counts of violating the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

Federal prosecutors said they have messages from Branson stating that he was "committing felonies" and "telling buyers he was 'on a killing spree' to obtain eagle tail feathers for future sales."

Branson would travel from Washington state to the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana to meet up with Paul who'd "help kill, transport and ship bald and golden eagles for future sales on the black market," according to the indictment.

32 comments

It’s not enough to destroy the earth. The ruling class needs hunting trophies of the species they’re driving extinct.
Our world is ruled by evil sociopaths. That’s the unifying theory that explains everything. Ruthless sociopaths with infinite money have declared war on the planet and everything that lives here.
- Are those people part of the ruling class? Never heard of them nor did a brief search bring anything up (I'm not American though).
  Anyway, instead of calling it a "war" by the ruling class I prefer to explain stuff with Hanlon's Razor which fits here, too.
  
  I do see what you mean, but I do have to disagree on that point.
  Someone involved in illegal bird killing or other acts of environmental destruction (oil, gas, producing garbage, ...) most surely knows what the effects of their actions are, but their want for personal gain is bigger.
  And the moral difference between doing something terrible out of mallice or greed is very small, if it even exists.
  Slavery isn't better when it's done just for the money.
- "So you see, that is why Evil will always triumph: because Good is dumb."
- The ruling class needs hunting trophies of the species they’re driving extinct.
  Bald Eagles are not endangered.
  
  Niether are filthy rich sociopaths. Maybe we should do something about that.
Give them The Promethean Punishment. Expose their livers, and let the birds have at it.
- Persians have you beat:
  It ostensibly entailed trapping the victim between two boats, feeding and covering them with milk and honey, and allowing them to fester and be devoured by insects and other vermin over time.
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scaphism
  
  That might be a worse fate, but it's not as poetic as being devoured by birds for the crime of murdering birds.
Some people have zero respect for their own lives, and by extension, any living thing. Money insidiously affects all, whether you're a have or a have not.
We must try our best to nurture and understand our world instead of "conquering" it.
- Bald Eagles are pests in some of Alaska. They violated the law and so are poachers, but how is this ethically different from working at a slaughterhouse?
  
  I love animals, i eat them, i don't care if they rot away in a factory farm and never saw the sunlight, but man i do really care and love animals. Right, got it.
biggest montana crime of 2023
- No, that would be this-
  https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/05/politics/montana-abortion-restrictions-greg-gianforte/index.html
Another day of "prosecutor uses inflammatory words to help newspapers write headlines". It's not a "killing spree", it's just poaching. They are normal poachers, not serial killers.
- Another day of prosecution using the defendant's words against them. Did you read the article? They literally said that in text messages
  
  Federal prosecutors said they have messages from Branson stating that he was "committing felonies" and "telling buyers he was 'on a killing spree' to obtain eagle tail feathers for future sales."
  It doesn't really say the context though. And, again, it doesn't matter if they believe it themselves. I'm not defending them. I'm saying this is no different from other poachers, and describing it as a killing spree when it went on over years is clickbait. Regardless of if they said it or not.
- Killing one protected animal makes you a poacher, killing THOUSANDS over years for no valid reason certainly counts as serial killer behavior.
- I mean over 3k birds sounds like a spree of killing sprees to me. The headline says birds, so there's no chance of confusion that it means people. They are poachers who went on a series of bird killing sprees.
- spree
  /sprē/
  noun
  a spell or sustained period of unrestrained activity of a particular kind.
  Unless you dispute the word 'killing,' which I would also be happy to define for you, I'm pretty sure 'killing spree' is the correct description
Birds aren't real!
🦅🔫🦅🔫🦅🔫

32 comments