A California man has been sentenced to 90 days in jail and fined $75,000 after pleading guilty to crimes related to the poaching of more than 150 birds of prey.
Standish resident Richard Parker, 68, also was placed on five years of probation for his role in what the California Department of Fish and Wildlife described as “the largest raptor poaching case in known California history.”
According to a CDFW news release the two firearms Parker used to shoot hawks and other raptors on his Lassen County property were ordered destroyed.
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The case began in March 2018, after wardens received an anonymous tip from a witness to one of the shootings. A “covert” visit to Parker’s property turned up nine raptor carcasses.
A search warrant was subsequently issued and wildlife authorities from Lassen and Plumas County discovered more than 150 carcasses of protected raptors. Most were red-tailed hawks, but other raptors, including owls, were collected during the search.
Four of the birds were migratory ferruginous hawks not common in the region, the CDFW said.
Additionally, two bobcat carcasses and a taxidermy-mounted mountain lion were collected as evidence.
Most of the carcasses were delivered to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Forensic Laboratory in Ashland, Oregon. Necropsy findings helped build the case against Parker.
Stated California Atty. General Xavier Becerra: “Poaching is not a game, it’s a serious crime. Richard Parker willfully and egregiously disregarded California law to kill protected wildlife, including hawks. To anyone who breaks our laws for illegal sport, know that we will prosecute and hold you accountable.”
Under terms of probation, Parker must submit to full search authority, is prohibited from possessing firearms, and banned from hunting and fishing.
–Top three images are courtesy of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Bottom image showing a live red-tailed hawk is via Wikipedia
