The California couple learned the difficult way to discuss travel plans with strangers can have disastrous consequences, especially when it involves transporting the remains of sea turtles protected in carry-on luggage.
More than a year ago, two officers from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) returned from San Diego to Northern California to have a conversation with a couple sitting nearby dressed in plain clothes discussing hunting.
During the conversation, the couple admitted that they were carrying a sea turtle skull from the East Coast in their luggage. They also mentioned illegal hunting of mountain lions, a specially protected species in California, and spoke to officials about a relative’s “trophy room” full of taxidermed mountain lions, wolverines and other animals.
After the flight, CDFW officials asked to look at the sea turtle’s skull. The couple waited until TSA officials hadn’t seen it before pulling them out of their carry-on bag jacket. The skull belonged to the green sea turtle, an endangered species that was illegal to own or transport.
Within two days, officers received a search warrant for the couple’s home in Chico and their relatives in Napa County. When they searched Chico’s house, they found the couple dispose of deer that they had illegally killed that same day. Deer season was closed and there was no permission.
Inside the house, wildlife officers also spotted mountain lion claws, ringtail cats, mounted barn owls, and several deer filmed without proper tag. Ringtail cats are a fully protected species of California and it is illegal to own a herd raptor or raptor parts without state or federal permission.
At his Napa County home, authorities found two full-fledged taxidermy mountain lions and Wolverines that are illegal to own in California. All animals were photographed as evidence.
“This incident shows how important it is for wildlife officers to be vigilant at all times,” said Nathaniel Arnold, chief of law enforcement at CDFW, in a statement. “Trading human trafficking of both living and animal wildlife, like human and drug trafficking, is known to fund cross-border criminal organizations around the world and their violent activities.”
Byron Lee Fitzpatrick, 24, and 28-year-old Shannon Lee Price, were convicted of violating the state’s wildlife laws and were fined $1,865 and $1,015 respectively on a year of probation banning hunting and linking hunters. They are facing an additional $1,000 each due to violating federal wildlife laws.
Harry Vern Fitzpatrick, 64, pleaded guilty to possessing a species protected in Napa County and was on six months of probation. He also received a $605 fine and confiscated his illegal collection.
A 2023 report from Mooding Moody’s found that global wildlife trafficking is the third largest in the world, after drug trafficking and counterfeit foods. The United States is a “source, destination, and transport location” for illegal human trafficking in wildlife and animal products, the report says.
