Canadian man, Dana Morely McIvor, sentenced for possession, killing of raptors
A Canadian man was sentenced to almost $3,000 in fines and penalties after pleading guilty to four separate misdemeanor counts of the illegal possession of raptors.
Golden eagle image/papilio4
Dana Morely McIvor, 31, pled guilty to two counts of unlawful possession of a golden eagle and ordered to pay $1,745 in fines and civil penalties. He also pled guilty to two separate counts of unlawful possession of a bird of prey and ordered to pay an additional $1,210. In addition to his total fine of $2,955, McIvor was given a 30-day jail sentence, suspended for two years.
McIvor admitted to killing at least three raptors and had numerous raptor parts, such as feathers, wings and feet in his possession when he was arrested.
“This crime is an outrage to the citizens of Nevada. These birds are an important part of Nevada’s ecosystem, and there’s no excuse for this kind of thoughtless killing,” said Chief Game Warden Tyler Turnipseed.
The original incident stemmed from a case of reckless driving that led to the arrest of McIvor in the Walmart Tire Center in Elko on Jan. 31 of this year. The bird parts were discovered after a search of the vehicle McIvor was driving.
Eagle feathers are often used in Native American celebrations and are sometimes illegally sold in international markets. In Nevada, as in other states, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) permit is required to be in possession of raptors and raptor parts. The total value of the seized raptor parts in this case could exceed $10,000, according to game wardens.
McIvor admitted to keeping the raptor parts for ceremonial purposes. The USFWS provides feathers for Native American celebrations and are available through the National Eagle Repository. NDOW routinely works with the USFWS to transfer killed and euthanized raptors to the repository. Each year NDOW coordinates getting numerous birds from Nevada to the repository for this use.
“The Fish and Wildlife Service has done great work to make birds available for ceremonial purposes, and there’s no excuse for killing healthy birds to sell on the black market,” said Turnipseed.
