This morning, I overheard a conversation between my 19-year-old niece and my sister. My niece is going on a cruise in Alaska with her boyfriend and his family this summer, and she was talking about not wanting to sit next to a stranger on a plane because she didn’t want to find herself forced to make conversation. She’s shy and has some anxieties about small talk with strangers, so it’s understandable.
Some people are better than others at conversations on flights. I try to bury myself in a book or music so that I don’t have to talk to others. Those who enjoy conversing with strangers on a plane might want to be careful about what they say, as a recent press release from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) tells us.
The story begins in November 2023 when two CDFW officers were flying back from a training session in San Diego. The two were in plain clothes, so there wasn’t anything to identify them as officers. A couple on the plane began talking about hunting with the two officers.
“A conversation with the officers and the unsuspecting couple ensued that ultimately led to the couple disclosing that they were transporting a sea turtle skull from the East Coast in their luggage,” the press release explains. “The couple also discussed their unlawful take of a mountain lion, which is a specially protected species in California illegal to hunt or possess in whole or in part.”
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The couple didn’t limit their conversation to their illegal hunting. They talked about other family members who were engaged in similar activities.
“The couple then spoke openly about a close family member’s unlawful possession of multiple taxidermized mountain lions, a wolverine, and wolves at the family member’s residence in Napa County,” the release continues. “The couple then proceeded to share a video with the wildlife officers of the family member’s ‘trophy room’ where the illegal mounts were displayed.”
After they got off the plane, the officers asked the couple if they could see the sea turtle skull. The couple agreed and said that they had it inside a jacket in one of their carry-on bags but would only show it out of sight of TSA agents because they acknowledged that they had acquired an illegal skull. This led the officers to seek search warrants for the couple and another family member.
“In the process of serving the search warrant in Butte County, wildlife officers found the couple processing a deer that was taken illegally earlier in the day,” the CDFW explains. “Deer season was closed, and the suspects had no deer tags. Also inside the residence, wildlife officers found mountain lion claws, a ringtail cat, a barn owl mount, an illegal spike buck, and several unlawfully taken deer with tagging violations.”
The family member also had several illegally hunted and taxidermized animals. Authorities seized all the animals and animal parts for evidence and filed charges. The couple reached plea agreements at the end of January that included fines, probation, and hunting restrictions; the family member reached a similar plea deal last spring.
“Like human and narcotics trafficking, wildlife trafficking of both live animals and animal parts is known to fund transnational criminal organizations and their violent activities all over the world,” said CDFW Chief of Law Enforcement Nathaniel Arnold. “The individuals involved exhibited a flagrant disregard for laws governing natural resources and are now being held accountable for their actions.”
What have we learned today, kids? Be careful who you talk to on a plane — and watch what you tell them!
