3 weeks ago
Life aft "Tiger King"
A New York City man has pleaded blameworthy to attempting to waste prohibited wild animal parts, including a cougar head.
Usher Weiss, 26, met pinch an undercover interrogator for nan New York State Department of Environmental Conservation connected Nov. 2, 2023, according to a news release from nan department. The 2 met astatine a basement successful Brooklyn, wherever Weiss gave nan undercover interrogator a cougar caput equine for $900. Weiss besides offered a "full cheetah caput mount" for $10,000, nan news merchandise said.
The cheetah caput equine confiscated by nan New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Weiss and nan interrogator met a 2nd clip successful December, wherever he handed nan undercover interrogator nan cheetah caput equine and aggregate different animal remains, including nan skull of a large cat, nan tegument of a seal pup and a vertebrate mount.
Weiss besides had a afloat taxidermied alligator, a tiger skin, a cheetah tegument and an elephant foot, nan news merchandise said.
Confiscated items included a taxidermied alligator.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Weiss was charged pinch violating biology conservation laws. He pleaded blameworthy connected Thursday.
As portion of his plea, Weiss must salary a $5,000 fine. He besides had to surrender each further contraband successful his possession. Weiss surrendered nan taxidermied alligator, animal skins and elephant ft to nan Department of Environmental Conservation successful April. He besides surrendered different contraband, but nan section did not stock specifications of what it was.
Items confiscated by nan New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, including a tiger tegument and taxidermied alligator.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
"We're committed to stopping nan forbidden wildlife trade successful our communities, and by prosecuting cases for illustration this, we're not conscionable enforcing nan rule — we're sending a beardown connection that protecting endangered type from harm is simply a priority," District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said successful nan news release.
- In:
- Environment
- Illegal Wildlife Trafficking
Kerry Breen
Kerry Breen is simply a newsman and news editor astatine CBSNews.com. A postgraduate of New York University's Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she antecedently worked astatine NBC News' TODAY Digital. She covers existent events, breaking news and issues including constituent use.
