In the plea agreement, Ramsey, who now lives in Mason, Wis., also admitted that in March 1998, he participated in the killing and skinning of the eight tigers while the tigers were confined in a trailer at a family-owned warehouse in Alsip, Ill. The meat from the tigers was then sold to an exotic meat market in Lockport, Ill. Ramsey also admitted to assisting in the killing of four other tigers while they were confined in a trailer at an exotic animal farm in Cape Girardeau, Mo., and transporting them to Illinois.
Ramsey entered his guilty plea before of the U.S. District Court Judge Blanche Manning in Chicago. The illegal sale of the tiger meat is a felony violation of the Lacey Act, a federal wildlife protection law. It carries a maximum penalty of five years confinement and up to $250,000 in fines. He is scheduled to be sentenced September 13.
Ramsey is the second Illinois defendant to plead guilty to charges filed in connection with Operation Snow Plow, a lengthy undercover investigation of the illegal trade of protected tigers and leopards by agents of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Timothy R. Laurie of Elgin, Ill., pleaded guilty May 23, 2002, to knowingly concealing the hide of a federally-protected leopard that had been illegally imported, also a felony violation of the Lacey Act.
In the plea agreement, Laurie admitted that in January 1997, he took possession of a skull and hide of two endangered leopards that were illegally transported into the United States from South Africa and that, in May 1998, Laurie purchased false documentation that made it appear the leopard skull and hide, as well as another illegally obtained leopard hide, were from captive bred animals that died from natural causes. Laurie also admitted that, in January 1997, he purchased a tiger that was killed and skinned on his property, and then mounted by a taxidermist for display at his residence. Laurie also obtained falsified U.S. Department of Agriculture forms declaring that the tiger had been "donated" to him.
Tigers are listed as "Endangered" under the federal Endangered Species Act. The law also protects leopards, which are classified as either "endangered" or "threatened" depending on the location of the wild population. Although federal regulations allow possession of captive-bred tigers, the regulations stipulate activities involving their use must be to enhance the propagation or survival of the species. It is unlawful to kill the animals for profit, or to sell their hides, parts or meats into interstate commerce.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principle Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses nearly 540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 70 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological service field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes - Big Rivers Region, visit our home page at http://midwest.fws.gov">
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service | | | | | | |
