Internet trafficking of endangered animal parts Port Saint Lucie, FL (US) Incident Date: Saturday, Nov 1, 2003 County: Saint Lucie Local Map: available Disposition: Convicted Abuser/Suspect: Kevin M. McMaster

Case ID: 8456 Classification: Unlawful Trade/Smuggling Animal: other wildlife View more cases in FL (US) Login to Watch this Case

The first e-mail showed up unexpectedly in Tim Santel's inbox. A Port St. Lucie man noticed he and Santel frequented some of the same wildlife-related Web sites and chat rooms, although they didn't know each other. So he reached out to Santel via e-mail: He had some cat skins for sale and was looking for a buyer. That first e-mail led to others, and Santel eventually bought two Bengal tiger skins for $15,300, a snow leopard skin for $7,000 and a clouded leopard skin for $4,500 � all from endangered species protected by various federal laws. But the seller in Port St. Lucie had no idea who Santel really was.

"As a covert officer, I have various identities," Santel said recently from his office at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Springfield, Ill., where he is resident agent in charge. "He found his way to me online, and it seemed like he felt very comfortable with me."

To government officials and wildlife protection groups, this case became a local snapshot of a growing threat to protected wildlife: Internet trafficking. Items from protected species, including hides or other animal parts, that once were available only if a buyer was acquainted with a black-market dealer or had the right contacts, are now for sale to just about anyone with a computer, experts say. "The wildlife trade has always been huge in this country," Santel said. "Now with the Internet, many people have access to things that basically weren't available before."

Federal prosecutors charged Kevin McMaster, 35, with four counts of violating endangered species laws in connection with the investigation sparked by that first unsolicited e-mail to Santel in November 2003. Through his Web site, Deadzoo.com, and a Port. St. Lucie gift shop, McMaster offered more than $200,000 worth of endangered species items for sale across state lines, including skins, gorilla and tiger skulls, and baby tiger mounts, prosecutors alleged.

McMaster, who has since shut down his Web site and moved from Port St. Lucie to Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to four counts of violating federal endangered species protection laws. He was sentenced last month to 25 months in prison.

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