Skylar Capo, 11, rescued a baby woodpecker - which is endangered - from a cat.
Posted on 08/03/2011 7:14:41 AM PDT by JoeProBono
FREDERICKSBURG, Va., - A Virginia woman said she feels "harassed and angry" after being slapped with a $535 fine after her daughter rescued a baby woodpecker from a cat.
Alison Capo of Fredericksburg said her daughter, Skylar, 11, saved the bird from a cat in her father's backyard and she agreed to take the bird home to make sure it was not seriously injured, WUSA-TV, Washington, reported Tuesday.
Capo said she and Skylar stopped at a Lowe's on the way home and brought the bird into the home improvement store because of the heat. She said a woman inside the store confronted her and identified herself as an officer with the Virginia Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Capo said the woman told her taking or transporting the baby woodpecker is illegal because the species is protected under the Federal Migratory Bird Act.
The mother said she released the bird as soon as she arrived home and reported the incident to the department, but she encountered the same woman about two weeks later when she showed up at her front door with a Virginia State Police trooper.
Capo said she was fined $535 and cited for unlawfully taking a migratory bird, which can carry a jail sentence of up to a year.
"I feel harassed and I feel angry," Capo said.
Skylar Capo, 11, rescued a baby woodpecker - which is endangered - from a cat.
No good goes unpunished.
They should have doubled the fine because she named her daughter Skylar.
They should lock that criminal up. She should be grateful that her fine was only $535. An obvious delinquent on her way to a life of crime.
OK, men, there's someone who rescued a baby bird in here, so shoot first and ask questions later. If there's a dog, shoot it.
And if the baby bird is in here, shoot it, too.
When confronted with an EPA endangered species, the preferred solution is to “shoot, shovel and shut up.” This makes the EPA nazis happy because it assures that that species will remain endangered so they can keep their federal government checks coming. The harassment of U.S. citizens is just icing on their cake.
Quite a system.
No good deed goes unpunished!
Caddis
“A new law always sounds like a ‘good idea’ until the first time you have to enforce it”. - Unknown
Now here’s the problem....Unless they have a picture of the woodpecker, there is only speculation. Anyone who thinks all these wildlife folks know their birds is kidding themselves.
So, we should let a cat eat whatever animal they want. I feel sorry for this girl. As a kid, I “saved” chipmunks, squirrels, birds, and baby rabbits from cats. Yes... I even kept them for a day or two before releasing them. Oops... I am hoping there is a statue of limitations over such vile acts! (If not, everyone knows my name is Joe Pro Bono. LOL)
Easy there, everyone. 2.4 Trillion is a lot of dollars to spend in 18 months. Gotta make sure everyone is on the job.
The Fish and Game gal can be charged with wanting them to catch a bird so she could eat it.
There are a gazillion things that you can do with this one besides demanding a jury trial ~ in federal court. That'll take 10 years to get on the docket.
In the end, the Wildlife folks sent a letter of apology. NO FINE!!
But the same officer wouldn’t dream of fining a windmill owner for all the carcasses of dead migratory birds on the ground beneath them.
Who knew Woodpeckers are endangered? They’re all over GA. I had one that for some reason thought the metal vent on the top of my fireplace was a tree. The daggum bird would peck on it all day long and it would echo through the fireplace!
Save my woodie!
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