Federal agents with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today contacted and charged some 31 individuals in Oklahoma for illegally trapping and killing hawks and owls in violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act a Federal law that protects more than 800 U.S. bird species.
The individuals cited, who include residents of Rogers, Sequoyah, McIntosh, Choctaw, Cherokee, Atoka, Le Flore, Creek, Pontotoc, Seminole, Coal, Lincoln, Pottawatomie, Murray, Grady, and Jackson counties, all raise gamecocks. They are charged with using pole traps at their gamecock facilities to catch and kill hawks and owls thought to be a depredation threat to their domestic fowl.
Pole traps, which consist of a steel-jawed leg hold trap mounted on top of a specially installed pole, take advantage of the natural perching behavior of birds of prey. When owls and hawks land on the traps, the steel jaws catch them by the feet, often seriously damaging their talons. The birds are then left to hang until they die or are removed from the traps and killed.
Violations documented in the Service investigation include take of migratory birds as well as illegal possession of protected birds and their parts. Under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the gamecock owners face a maximum penalty of a $15,000 fine and six months in prison for each violation.
The Service issues permits on a yearly basis for the live trapping and release of depredating owls and hawks. Service records show that three of the individuals charged held permits in the past, but all had expired by 1993. Permits only allow the use of padded, non-lethal traps.
"The individuals we investigated represent only a small percentage of the fighting gamecock owners in Oklahoma," said Service Special Agent Jerry Monroe, who works out of Edmond. But those who persist in illegally trapping hawks and owls are responsible for killing untold numbers of birds."
The Service completed a similar investigation in Oklahoma and Texas in 1989, bringing charges against 175 individuals for killing owls and hawks. Species vulnerable to this threat include great horned owls, barred owls, barn owls, red-tailed hawks, and red-shouldered hawks.
"Our investigation in Oklahoma reveals a callous disregard of the law and the birds it protects," said Special Agent in Charge Richard McDonald, who oversees Service law enforcement efforts in the Southwest. "Legal ways exist to address depredation. Those who resort to pole trapping are destroying wild birds that are part of our natural heritage."
