Pinedale on the Web!
Pinedale, Wyoming
Home | Calendar of Events | Photo Gallery | Local Businesses |

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a permit to the Northern Arapaho Tribe in Wyoming to kill two bald eagles this year for religious purposes. A permit was granted to the tribe on March 9 allowing it either to kill or capture and release two bald eagles this year. The tribe sued the agency last fall arguing that the refusal of the federal government to issue eagle permits violated tribal members' religious freedom.

Bald eagles were removed from the federal list of threatened species in 2007. The birds remain protected under the federal Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. The Federal government allows American Indians to possess feathers and body parts from dead eagles, however Federal law prohibits non-Indians from killing or possessing any part of bald eagles. Several Indian tribes have been given permits to kill golden eagles for religious purposes.

Tribal members are calling the permit a victory for tradition. Some animal rights groups question why the tribe can’t meet its religious needs using feathers or carcasses from birds killed by power lines or other causes.

Related Links Feds say Wyoming tribe's bald eagle permit a first - By Ben Neary, Casper Star-Tribune, Trib.com, March 18, 2012 Tribe: Bald eagle permit a victory for tradition - LompocRecord.com, March 17, 2012 Wyoming Tribe Granted Permit to Kill Bald Eagles - By Dylan Polk, Game&FishMag.com, March 14, 2012