Authorities uncover massive illegal operation in Indigenous province: 'Sacrilegious'

Five people are facing poaching and trafficking charges in Alberta, Canada, for killing raptors — eagles and hawks protected under the province's Wildlife Act — as reported by the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network.

What's happening?

According to the Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services, five individuals, including at least one American, are facing a total of 43 charges, including the hunting of protected species on Stoney Nakoda and Eden Valley First Nations land and unlawful possession of wildlife for the purpose of trafficking.

Search warrants were issued for trucks and homes where eagle and other raptor parts were found with unsecured firearms, the CBC reported. The individuals also sold prohibited items to undercover officers, including "a bald eagle feather headdress, black bear claw necklaces and a raptor talon dance stick," per a press release from the enforcing agency.

Eagle feathers and body parts are sometimes used in Indigenous ceremonies, and First Nation members can apply to receive them from the government for spiritual or cultural purposes, according to the CBC. As APTN News further explained, First Nation members "with treaty rights or Métis harvesting status can lawfully harvest and possess certain wildlife for subsistence purposes for themselves and their immediate families."

Meanwhile, poachers hunting protected species on First Nation land is not only illegal but considered by some to be a violation of sacred grounds.

"When you're poaching animals that are considered sacred in the traditions of the Îyârhe Nakoda, the people of the mountains, that's sacrilegious," Reg Fountain, emergency management director for the Stoney Nakoda Nations, told APTN. "The lands of the Îyârhe Nakoda, like the lands of any other First Nation in Canada, are sovereign territory to the people of that Nation, and they will be protected by the people of the Nation."

Why is this concerning?

Animal poaching can have significant impacts on essential ecosystems. When specific animals are targeted in this way, the delicate balance of a habitat may be disturbed, leading to ripple effects for other species as well. If certain animal populations can no longer thrive, an entire food web can be disrupted, and biodiversity itself can be put at risk.

Poaching can also be detrimental to local economies. Natural landscapes and wildlife attract tourists, and if the wildlife is no longer present, tourism can decrease, affecting jobs and businesses. 

In the case of raptors living on the sovereign lands of the Stoney Nakoda and Eden Valley First Nations, animal population decimation can also be considered a cultural violation. "The flora, the fauna, the ecosystem are considered sacred," noted Fountain, "and therefore we will work with the Nakoda to ensure the safety and security of their lands."

Bald eagles and golden eagles are classified as sensitive species with low populations in Alberta.

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What's being done about poaching in Canada?

Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis aims to educate the public, explaining in a statement, per the CBC, that "poaching is a crime that robs our province of wildlife that is central to the lives and livelihoods of many Albertans." 

The charges brought against the arrested poachers may help deter others from such illegal acts. Meanwhile, as Mylène Ratelle and Jeffrey Fabian wrote for The Conversation in 2019, Indigenous hunters across Canada have been integral to conservation efforts, monitoring the health and safety of ecosystems while working on their traditional, sovereign lands.

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