Two Calgarians among group accused of poaching eagles in southern Alberta

Two Calgarians are among a group of people facing dozens of charges related to wildlife poaching and illegal trafficking.

Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services has charged James Brittain and Sophia Soriano of Calgary, Teresa Snow and Eli Snow of Morley, and Simon Paul of Montana with 34 charges under the province’s Wildlife Act and nine federal criminal charges.

Paul is an American fugitive who had been living in Alberta.

Undercover investigation nabs suspects

It all started last August, when Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services’s undercover unit got a tip from a confidential informant that Paul had fled to Canada and was living with Teresa Snow on the Stoney Nakoda First Nation.

Paul was wanted in the U.S. on multiple charges related to the alleged killing and trafficking of birds of prey in Montana and had failed to appear in court.

Additional reports in November 2024 said he was actively killing eagles on the Stoney Nakoda and Eden Valley First Nations land and selling wildlife products.

Fish and Wildlife launched an undercover operation in which Paul, Teresa Snow, and Brittain sold various items to undercover officers, including a bald eagle feather headdress, black bear claw necklaces and a raptor talon dance stick.

Investigation expands to Cochrane

In March 2025, wildlife officers in Cochrane started their own investigation, after getting a ‘Report a Poacher’ tip about Paul and Eli Snow allegedly shooting eagles and hawks from a truck near Cochrane.

Search warrants were executed on the suspects’ truck and home where officers discovered multiple freshly removed eagle feet with talons, feathers, blood, and other raptor parts, as well as unsecured firearms.

Across both investigations, the group of five have been charged with: hunting wildlife for which there is no open season, unlawful possession and trafficking of wildlife, possession for the purpose of unlawful trafficking, providing false or misleading information to a fish and wildlife officer, and careless transportation and storage of firearms.

Wildlife central to Alberta’s identity: minister

Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services deputy chief, Rob Lamont, says the hard work of Fish and Wildlife personnel is what led to the successful operation.

Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services, Mike Ellis, adds that poaching is not acceptable in any circumstances.

“Poaching is a crime that robs our province of wildlife that is central to the lives and livelihoods of many Albertans,” he said. “I commend the dedication and hard work of Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers, along with our law enforcement partners, into these investigations to put an end to these illegal activities and help conserve and protect Alberta’s wildlife.”

In Alberta, Indigenous peoples with treaty rights or Métis harvesting status can legally hunt and possess certain wildlife for supporting themselves and their immediate families. Wildlife hunted under these rights can’t be transferred, traded, bartered, sold, or possessed by individuals outside of the immediate family.

Anyone with information about any wildlife or fishery violation is encouraged to call the 24-hour Report A Poacher line at 1-800-642-3800, or online at www.alberta.ca/report-poacher. Callers can remain anonymous and could qualify for a reward.