Latest news with #JohnWaldrop
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Yahoo
GA man sentenced in largest-ever bird mount trafficking case
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WSAV) — Wednesday, a federal judge in Brooklyn, N.Y., sentenced two men for trafficking protected birds and eggs into the United States in violation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Dr. John Waldrop of Cataula, Georgia, was ordered to pay a $900,000 fine — one of the largest-ever for an ESA case — and serve three years of probation. Toney Jones of Eufala, Alabama, was sentenced to six months of probation. Waldrop pleaded guilty in August 2024 to conspiracy to smuggle wildlife and ESA violations, while Jones pleaded guilty to an ESA charge. According to court documents and statements made in court, Waldrop amassed an extensive collection of 1,401 taxidermy bird mounts and 2,594 eggs which included: Four eagles protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, 179 bird and 193 egg species listed in the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and 212 bird and 32 egg species covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). This included incredibly rare specimens like three eggs of the Nordmann's Greenshank, an Asian shorebird with only 900 to 1,600 remaining birds in the wild; no North American museum has any Nordmann Greenshank eggs in their collection. Waldrop forfeited his collection. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Lab examined the items and determined it to be the largest seizure of bird mounts in their 37-year history. The ESA requires that all wildlife imports be declared to USFWS and have required permits, including species protected by CITES. The USFWS Office of Law Enforcement in Valley Stream, New York, conducted the investigation as part of Operation Final Flight. The operation focused on the trafficking of protected birds into the United States. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources assisted with the investigation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Yahoo
‘Obsessive' stuffed endangered bird collector ducks jail, must pay $900K
An elderly orthopedic surgeon admitted his love of birds turned into a dark obsession, telling a Brooklyn judge that he's done with collecting stuffed endangered species for good. John Waldrop, 76, of Georgia, amassed a staggering collection of 1,401 taxidermy mounts and 2,594 eggs, most of them through smuggling or unauthorized means, before federal authorities raided his roost and arrested him in 2023. On Wednesday, Brooklyn Federal Court Judge Rachel Kovner allowed him to fly free, sentencing him to three years probation and a $900,000 fine. Prosecutors set up three birds from his collection on a table in the courtroom — a Roseate spoonbill, a Eurasian eagle-owl (the same species as Flaco) and an imperial eagle native to eastern Europe and parts of Asia — positioning them so their eyes pointed directly at the judge. 'I hope that you can appreciate the beauty,' Waldrop drawled. 'I look at them as pieces of art and not as mounts.' Waldrop has forfeited his entire collection, handing the birds and eggs over to the Smithsonian Museum, Cornell University and other zoos and museums, Department of Justice attorney Ryan Connors said. That collection includes herons, a Muscovy duck and an Elenora's falcon from Italy, a great gray owl and a boreal owl from Russia. 'He also had three Nordmann's greenshank [Tringa guttifer] eggs, an Asian shorebird with 900 to 1,600 remaining population,' prosecutors said in an April 2 filing. 'No museum in North America has these eggs in its collection, yet the defendant obtained three of them.' An ornithologist at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's forensic lab called Waldrop's collection the largest seizure of bird mounts in the lab's 37-year history, according to a filing by prosecutors. And the Department of Justice referred to the seizure as the largest-ever bird mount trafficking case. John Waldrop, 76, of Georgia, amassed a huge collection of taxidermy mounts and eggs from endangered bird species. (Court Evidence) Waldrop said he considered the taboo taxidermy to be 'pieces of art.' (Court Evidence) Show Caption1 of 3John Waldrop, 76, of Georgia, had a collection of 2,594 eggs from endangered bird species. (Court Evidence)Expand Waldrop pleaded guilty in August to violating the Endangered Species Act and conspiracy to smuggle goods into the United States. Prosecutors said he took pains to disguise his identity, going through importers and third-party buyers, and coordinated with suppliers in Africa, Europe and South America to boost his collection over several years. 'I never thought my activities would have adversely affected so many people,' he told the judge. 'I have completely given up my obsessive hobby of taxidermy birds.' Instead, he said, he's taken to collecting wood carvings and painted fake eggs. Waldrop has turned parts of his 220-acre property near Columbus, Ga., into a wildlife preserve, his lawyer, Paul Fishman, said. And, according to court filings, he kept his collection in a lake house that he'd often open up to school children, who called it 'Dr. Waldrop's Zoo.' 'My love for birds is extraordinary,' he said. 'I will continue to create habitats for them. But my love for them does not excuse my illegal behavior.' Waldrop's vast smuggling efforts prevented the scientific community from studying the endangered birds, or getting an accurate read on how many of each species exist, Connors said. 'When you bring this into JFK Airport labeled as toys or clothing,' Connors said, 'then the numbers, the classification system doesn't work.' The case was held in Brooklyn court since some of the contraband shipments were intercepted at JFK. The investigation was led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Valley Stream, Long Island, office. An accomplice, Toney Jones, 55, of Alabama, was sentenced to six months probation. After the sentencing, prosecutors wrapped the three stuffed birds with green bubble wrap, put them in cardboard boxes and covered them with garbage bags.
