Montana studies plan to allow falconry
HELENA, Mont. – Offspring of a swift, crow-size raptor removed from the federal endangered-species list in 1999 could be captured in limited numbers for the sport of falconry, under a proposal the Montana wildlife agency is considering.
The state Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks is taking public comment until Jan. 15 on the plan to let falconers take fledgling peregrine falcons from nests – perhaps removing about half a dozen birds a year. In falconry, trained birds circle above the falconers, take high-speed dives at flushed prey such as grouse, then try to capture the prey.
The Montana Falconers Association wants this state to join six others in the West that allow removal of peregrines from the wild, within a federal framework. If the proposal advances, Fish, Wildlife and Parks will prepare an environmental assessment.
The peregrine population has recovered and estimates of active nests now exceed recovery goals, the agency said. ”Numbers are growing, distribution is increasing,” said Jeff Herbert, a wildlife administrator for the department. It is overseen by a five-member board that ultimately would decide whether to allow removal of wild peregrines.
(source: The Salt Lake Tribune )