{"id":12437,"date":"2026-05-08T01:16:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T01:16:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=12437"},"modified":"2026-05-08T01:16:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T01:16:29","slug":"feds-investigating-illegal-dumping-of-dozens-of-protected-animals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=12437","title":{"rendered":"Feds Investigating Illegal Dumping of Dozens of Protected Animals"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"justify-start\">\n<nav class=\"align-left col-span-full mb-base\" data-pom-e2e-test-id=\"breadcrumbs\"\/>\n<p>The National Park Service is seeking tips after 33 federally protected black vultures were illegally dumped in America&#8217;s most popular park. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/p>\n<p class=\"fp-leadCaption py-tight text-left font-utility text-utility3-size leading-utility3-line-height text-secondary\">Black vultures are a federally protected species under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act<!-- --> (Photo: Michael J. Cohen, Photographer\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-body\">\n<p>Published May 7, 2026 06:51PM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The National Park Service is searching for whoever dumped the bodies of dozens of federally protected black vultures in Great Smoky Mountains National Park early last month.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn April 6 at approximately noon, Great Smoky Mountains National Park rangers reported a large number of dead birds along the side of the road on Foothills Parkway West,\u201d NPS wrote in a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/grsm\/learn\/news\/great-smoky-mountains-national-park-seeks-tips-to-identify-suspect-in-illegal-vulture-dumping.htm\">statement<\/a>. \u201cPark wildlife rangers identified that 33 black vultures had been dumped.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Outside<\/em> contacted NPS for any other information on the potential motive or cause of death, but did not receive a response in time for publication.<\/p>\n<p>The Migratory Bird Treaty Act federally protects black vultures and makes it illegal to kill, take, or possess more than 1,000 bird species in the U.S. The 1918 law is the same that protects eagles, flamingos, hawks, and owls. Violators <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/enforcement\/criminal-provisions-us-criminal-code-title-18-and-other-statutes\">face a fine<\/a> of $250,000 and a two-year prison sentence. Dumping of anything in a national park is also illegal, with charges of up to six months in prison and fines totaling thousands of dollars.<\/p>\n<p>Hardy Kern, director of government relations at <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/abcbirds.org\/\">American Bird Conservancy<\/a>, told\u00a0<em>Outside\u00a0<\/em>that black vultures\u00a0play an important role in their landscapes but are often seen as a menace.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVultures play a very crucial and unique role in maintaining ecosystem health, hence why conserving them and their habitats is so important,\u201d Kern said. \u201cWhere we might see a \u2018creepy\u2019 bird with a stooping gait that likes to hang around dead things, nature sees a recycling service, a landscaper, and a public health office rolled into one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With wingspans of up to five feet, the birds serve as a cleanup crew for many North American ecosystems, feeding on dead and decaying animals. Black vultures\u2019 stomach acid is corrosive, allowing them to safely digest carcasses infected with harmful pathogens that would be lethal to other animals, removing these germs from the environment. But misconceptions about vultures feeding on live animals often lead to conflicts with humans, Kern said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you don\u2019t get mad at the people who haul away your trash and recycling, you shouldn\u2019t get mad at vultures,\u201d he added. \u201cAreas without vultures tend to have more disease among wildlife, livestock, and even people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Black vultures and condors faced extinction in the 20th century due to urban expansion that destroyed their habitat and the widespread use of DDT. Scavenging birds like black vultures can <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/51885212_Dropping_dead_Causes_and_consequences_of_vulture_population_declines_worldwide\">eat large predators<\/a> poisoned by people, such as wolves or mountain lions, and thus poison themselves.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSeveral vulture species around the world face extinction due to habitat destruction, poisoning, and hunting. In the U.S., toxins like rodenticides and lead poisoning, mostly from spent ammunition, continue to be a major threat to black vultures,\u201d Kern said.<\/p>\n<p>The Foothills Parkway, where the birds were dumped, is a scenic, federally managed corridor located on the Tennessee side of the park. Although officials originally approved the parkway as part of a future 72-mile system, crews have completed only a few sections of the road to date. NPS is asking anyone in the area of the Foothills Parkway between Chilhowee and Walland on April 6 to contact the agency by email at the email address listed <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/grsm\/learn\/news\/great-smoky-mountains-national-park-seeks-tips-to-identify-suspect-in-illegal-vulture-dumping.htm\">here<\/a>. Dashcam footage, photos, witness statements, or any other information may help identify the person responsible. Tipsters can remain private.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/outdoor-adventure\/environment\/environment-vultures-dumped-great-smoky-mountains\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The National Park Service is seeking tips after 33 federally protected black vultures were illegally dumped in America&#8217;s most popular park. Black vultures are a federally protected species under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (Photo: Michael J. Cohen, Photographer\/Getty Images) Published May 7, 2026 06:51PM The National Park Service is searching for whoever dumped the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12438,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-12437","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wild-living"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12437","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12437"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12437\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12438"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12437"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}