My travels have made it hard for me to continue being a pet owner or to be involved in falconry, one of the drawbacks of being a nomad. To alleviate this, at times I pet sit for people. This lets me spend time with pets and get free a free place to stay. Win Win. Today I stumbled upon a posting on a popular pet sitter website. On the ad, the couple lists that one of their pets is a A Eurasian Eagle Owl. The picture they put up though, is clearly not an Owl and looks like a Golden Eagle.
Aside from how bad it would be if they didn't even know what type of bird they have, is it legal to let any old Joe Shmoe watch your Golden Eagle? They are in Arizona. Not sure I'm allowed to put a URL (didn't see it mentioned in the FAQ) but here is the listing.
I am considering taking the pet sit just to make sure the bird is properly looked after, but don't want to get involved if the bird is illegally owned, plus my falconry license is not current. What's your take?
Post by gabrielgarza on Oct 1, 2019 11:58:06 GMT -5
I would probably ask them first. Just to clarify.
I am not sure of the Arizona regulations, but this is in the Texas Regs.
(C) A person who is not a permitted falconer may provide care for a permittee’s raptor or raptors for no more than 45 consecutive days, provided: (i) the raptor or raptors remain at the permittee’s facility; (ii) the raptor or raptors are not flown for any reason; and (iii) the department may authorize temporary possession in excess of 45 days when warranted by extenuating circumstances such as illness, military service, natural disasters, or a family emergency. A person seeking an extension under this subparagraph shall submit a written request to the department, accompanied by a signed affidavit stating the nature of the extenuating circumstance.
I would probably take the gig to check on the bird / facilities as well.
From the regs I've seen, being non licensed should be legal if you aren't flying it. The pictures aren't clear whether they are relevant to the ad it not, but it seems odd that they wouldn't know the difference between an eagle and an owl. Check it out, maybe make some money and come away with a story.
No it’s not legal if it’s a native BOP. If someone had a Golden Eagle they’d know the difference and the legality.
If that bird in the pic is their “owl” it’s an illegally kept golden eagle. You might want to ask them Before unleashing Internet falconers on them. Things will get nasty fast.
Last Edit: Oct 8, 2019 19:31:56 GMT -5 by echotadog
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