S2 - Episode 7

Former US Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent Walter Duran joins us from his home in Miami to discuss his role in Operation Ornery Birds. The underground world of wildlife trafficking sometimes takes strange twists and turns and doesn't always involve exotic species from far away lands. Many wildlife species native to the United States find their way into the illegal wildlife trade. Every year, our native songbirds are trapped and sold into the exotic pet trade. This week, you're at the table to hear Walter describe how bird traffickers trap and sell wild birds native to the U.S. and why they do it. The answers will shock you. All migratory birds in the United States are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 USC 703) and it is a felony to sell or offer to sell, or take (capture or kill) with the intent to sell, any migratory bird or their parts.

Walter served as in law enforcement for more than 26 years, with many of those years working for the US Fish and Wildlife Service as a wildlife officer and special agent. As a uniformed wildlife officer, Walter focused his attention on protecting endangered manatees in Florida. As an agent, he spent his career working from the Miami field office, one of the busiest field offices in the country where agents work primarily on wildlife trafficking cases. Since retirement, Walter has served as a law enforcement advisor to the Wildlife Investigators Training Alliance (WITA), a non-profit organization focusing on providing training and support to wildlife law enforcement investigators worldwide. For more information about WITA, visit www.witatrain.org