US Fish and Wildlife Service puts seized furs, ostrich skin boots, jewelry on auction block
By Associated Press
2:27 PM MST, March 4, 2010

DENVER (AP) — A 22,000-square-foot Denver warehouse stuffed with leather boots, fur coats and other legal wildlife items seized because of paperwork or permit violations is filling up.

So the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is selling off pieces — about 300,000 of them — in an online auction, one lot at a time for the next several months.

The National Wildlife Property Repository in Denver held more than 1.5 million items at one point last year and had to stop accepting more for several months.

Any proceeds from the auction would be used to recover costs of the sale and support conservation education and wildlife.

None of the items is made from threatened or endangered species.

How can we locate this auction? Does anyone have a website address?

Fish and Wildlife Service selling off seized goods
By CATHERINE TSAI Associated Press Writer
Posted: 03/04/2010 12:13:04 PM MST
Updated: 03/04/2010 01:24:28 PM MST


DENVER—Faced with crowding, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is selling off some of the contents of its 22,000-square-foot warehouse stuffed with leather boots, fur coats and other legal wildlife items that were seized because of violations like paperwork mistakes.
About 300,000 pieces at the National Wildlife Property Repository in Denver will be available in an online auction, one lot at a time for the next several months.

Many of the watchbands, tablecloths with python skin sewn on, and mink purses being sold are beyond what the agency can donate to schools, zoos or museums for educational purposes, which is its main goal.

"We get inundated with tons and tons of boots," said Bernadette Atencio, supervisory wildlife repository specialist for the Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Denver repository is the only one of its kind in the country. At one point in 2009, it held more than 1.5 million items and had to stop accepting products for about half the year, Atencio said. She said goods were still processed, but many were donated.

The only other sale from items in the Denver repository in 1999 raised $500,000, Atencio said. Proceeds from the latest auction, which began last month, would be used to recover costs of the sale and support conservation education and wildlife.

The service has spent $100,000 to hold the auction so far.

Austin, Texas-based Lone Star Auctioneers didn't immediately have information on whether most early bidders have been individuals or businesses.

Nothing for sale is made from threatened or endangered species.

"These are items that can legally come into the U.S. for sale for commercial purposes," Atencio said. They were confiscated because they were imported without documentation from the countries of origin or violated other import regulations, she said.

Goods will only be shipped to U.S. addresses.


See items up for auction at LoneStarOnline.com.

one item
Lot: AG-16 - MINK PURSE
US FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE

It appears that they are selling many of these items one at a time but then if the proceeds of the sale are primarily to pay for the sale, for enforcement to collect more it seems like "Of the system, by the system, for the system!" Government at its finest!


Some of the extensive notes of the sale below;

Items offered for sale were forfeited or abandoned to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in connection with violations of U.S. wildlife import/export laws and regulations. All could have been legally imported and subsequently sold had the importer obtained appropriate permits or complied with other import/export requirements.

Federal law and regulation authorize the FWS to sell such items as a means of disposal.
Proceeds from such sales are used to support FWS conservation education and enforcement programs.

Please be advised that some items legally sold via this auction may not be legal to purchase and transport into every State. Purchasers are responsible for ensuring that items they buy may legally enter their State of residence or the State to which the items will be shipped and that any subsequent sale or transfer within the State is lawful under State law and regulation.

Items cannot be shipped directly to any address outside of the United States. Purchasers interested in exporting items after purchase and receipt should contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine whether any permits are required for export. Exporters must also comply with other basic requirements for the export of wildlife from the United States and with relevant trade requirements in other countries. For more information, check the FWS Law Enforcement website under “Import/Export".

quote:

Originally posted by eyedoc:
How can we locate this auction? Does anyone have a website address?

You mean a website like this one?

I dont get this??

These items are confiscated because of permit problems.

Did the US F&W go and get the proper permits to make these imports legal??

Sounds to me like these items where stolen by the US govt!!

I agree, let them keep the stuff!

Funny, it's illegal technically, for this stuff to even be in the country. You can't own it.
But, it's legal, and a good thing; for a fedguv agency to sell it to you.
I wonder, with a little due diligence, if a guy could buy his own seized stuff back.

Like the prez said, "every little dollar helps...".

Rich

They take it from one guy because they can, then they sell it to someone else. I had a pair of turle boots that I was wearing at the time taken when I was returning to the US from being in Mexico for the day. I even had an old pair of turtle boots in my truck that I had owned for years, they were scuffed. I told them they could take them too if they wanted them. They took the newer ones, but left the old ones, because they said they looked like I had owned them for a while, and obviously were not purchased during my trip out of the country. They asked me to sign a release saying I agreed to give them up. I said I would be glad to sign it, but that I wanted to add on the bottom that they were taken from me under duress. I was not allowed to add these words. I did some work when I got home to try to get them back, but when they checked, the boots were no longer in the storage room.

A similar thing happened to me in Brisbane Australia with some 30.06 rounds, I had a few more than I had listed on my paper work. I just let the agent keep them. Wonder if the guy went pig hunting that weekend!

I would rather see it burned than sold.

reminds me of a few years ago in mpls when they had this really antigun police chief. they staged one of the buy back things where they gave everybody $50. seems the chief being so antigun had himself a beautiful collection of walthers. somehow in the buyback his collection increased. just a bunch of crooks, all of them

Sad day when the .gov can steal from you today and sell it tomorrow.

Duckear, this is nothing new the blood suckers have been doing this for years.

quote:

Originally posted by USAONE:
I agree, let them keep the stuff!

Damned right. I wouldn't spend a red cent on any of this stuff.

It's nothing but government-sanctioned thievery.

mrlexma like most everything the Feds do. The only true exception is the funds spent for the defense of OUR country! Of course we must remember the monies spent for defense attnys for the Terrorists, eh.

I looked at the auction page, most everything there is from mexico, so it looks like stuff that was illegally imported and headed for a flea market near you! Doesn't look like any tourist type stuff or trophies or that sort of thing. I had to laugh at the ostrich skin boot lots in pink, burgundy, lime green....lol.