Bill, You got it right, the care of the eagle, and other endangered species, has passed through rationality into foolishness. Like all other birds eagles lose a feather here and there, and raptors lose more than most as they attack their prey.
The proper issue is the preservation of the bird, not the sale of the feathers. We have an exemplar in the matter of ivory. One can't get the tusks of a living elephant without killing him, and that is bad. And the ban on ivory trade is logical, as it reduces the value for poachers - even though there might be a legitimate trade in already dead ivory. When I was working in Belgium, some twenty years ago, I bought a brooch of Tiger claws with jewels for my lady. I'm all for saving the tiger, after all I went to Princeton - but this was documented as made in 1860, and the settings appeared to be that old. Was I participating in the killing of tigers? The child with the eagle feather doesn't imply the killing of an eagle. Nor does the ivory of an elephant imply the killing of that elephant. But the economics are important. The ban on ivory has to have an effect as it reduces the profit in the legitimate trade, and therefore the overall demand. But eagle feathers? Eagles would only be endangered for their feathers if the price of an eagle feather plectrum approximated the price of the best lute in the world. The birds do lose feathers now and then. But elephants don't lose tusks. Open your minds to the best circumstance, and I'll knit you a sweater out of cat hair without killing my cat, just combing her. Best, Jon ----- Original Message ----- From: "bill kilpatrick" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, November 08, 2004 1:25 PM Subject: eagle feathers > when i visited vermont in the states recently we went > to a place where birds of prey - raptors, they're > called - are cared for if found wounded or sick and > subsequently put on display if their condition is such > that releasing them back into the wild would do more > harm than good. > > there were several eagles in the collection and i > asked in the souvineer shop if they had an eagle > feather for sale so that i might make a risha or > plectrum for my oud - eagles are traditionally > considered to produce the best. > > i was surprised to discover that they are not for sale > - it's a federal offence to sell them in this, or any > other bird sanctuary that is not an american indian > based business. > > ummph ... them tribes got some sharp lawyers down > there in washington. > > - bill > > ===== > "and thus i made...a small vihuela from the shell of a creepy crawly..." - Don Gonzalo de Guerrero (1512), "Historias de la Conquista del Mayab" by Fra Joseph of San Buenaventura > > > > > > ___________________________________________________________ALL-NEW Yahoo! Messenger - all new features - even more fun! http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > >
